


The Spoils of War

by FallenInDreams



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, originally on FanFiction.net it's getting a kind of reboot, please be patient, the chapters need SERIOUS editing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2018-05-21 16:17:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 35,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6057886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallenInDreams/pseuds/FallenInDreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The ninja nations are at war, but Sakura Haruno finds herself in a unique position to end hostilities when Gaara Sabaku takes her prisoner. But no-one says no to him and lives and he wants more from her than she's willing to give. GaaSaku.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story is on FanFiction.net but I've decided to rewrite it - like spring cleaning. The story itself won't be remodelled too much, just the spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. I hope everyone reading this enjoys this story as much as I do.  
> Enjoy. :)

…  
Prologue.  
...

A light rain trickled down her face, mixing with her tears, and washing away the taste of salt on her skin. Sakura Haruno was in no position to wipe the tears away, regardless. Her body was as good as completely broken: she had felt the bones crack, and the muscles contort impossibly. The blood caked her skin so quickly, and cemented, even in the rain. She was lying amongst a sea of dead Shinobi, made up of both friends and foes; they came from multiple villages, but there were only three main allegiances between the great Shinobi nations. Their blood filled her nostrils, and Sakura felt nauseated. She was a medic, so blood, gore, and dead bodies didn't bother her.

But this was different.

She wasn't supposed to be here. She wasn't supposed to enter the fray. Not with this battle. It had been a long time coming, the final conflict of this war playing out here of all places, and Sakura had planned to be far away when this went down. She didn't want to see this, this senseless violence; she had no control when it came to avoiding it. In light of recent events, Sakura had resigned herself to returning to Konoha and trying to pick up the pieces of her broken life, when she was ultimately drawn back into the middle of this.

She should've known better than to think it would be that easy.

Sakura squirmed slightly, gasping when another sharp renewed pain ran through her body, reminding her of the predicament she was in. She was alive, for now; closing her eyes, she tried to think about something other than the stabbing ache in her side. She was terrified of what lay beyond her when these wounds finally took their toll. Sakura didn't have enough chakra left to heal herself, and several vital organs were bruised from that last attack.

But it wasn't her imminent death that bothered her, no…

'I'm going to die a traitor.'

No-one could blame her for being captured by the enemy, tortured, beaten, and killed for her insolence. But instead, she was considered the enemy because she let him seduce her. She let him into her heart, and then proceeded to make a mockery of her Kunoichi training by choosing not to let an innocent man die. How could she be expected to watch him writhe and scream without at least trying to help him? It made no sense to not care that another human being was in pain.

Fat lot of good it did her now.

Sakura twisted her head onto its side at the sound of something moving nearby. If the ominous noise had turned out to be the clip-clop of a horse, there would be nothing to worry about; only civilians and the foot soldiers to the many daimyo used domesticated animals (of different kinds) for travel. But this sound was subtle, light enough to be walking without disturbing the ground like an animal, and moved carefully – definitely a ninja. A moment later, she recognized that distinctive chakra signature, and Sakura froze; the growing fear in her heart turned her into a statue.

What was he doing here?

The pinkette move her head again to find the man staring down at her, the all too familiar look of lust in his eyes. But instead of making her heart miss a beat as one might expect from his expression and position, it was instead racing in fear. She tried to move away from him as he leant over her, his face mere inches from hers; the pain from her sudden movement wouldn't let her get any further away, and his proximity coupled with her sudden attempt to move sent renewed spasms of pain throughout her body.

She cried out.

"Don't worry my cherry blossom," he said softly, a smirk twisting his lips. "I'll take good care of you."

And she wished she'd died. She wished that this had truly been her end.

…

XXX

...


	2. Fate Intervenes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ninja nations are at war, but Sakura Haruno finds herself in a unique position to end hostilities when Gaara Sabaku takes her prisoner. But no-one says no to him and lives and he wants more from her than she's willing to give. GaaSaku.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Newly edited and uploaded.  
> Anyway… Sakura is 20 years old right now, just so you know. Also, sorry about the length of this first scene. The story will pick up, promise. For now, enjoy! ;P
> 
> For reference:  
> Senkage: I got the "Sen" from the Japanese word senjō that literally means "battlefield". Appropriate I thought. Makes me think "fighting shadow", lol. (Kage means "shadow", 'case anyone's confused.)

…  
Chapter One: Fate Intervenes.  
...

A long time ago, there had only been five great ninja nations, the lands of fire, wind, earth, water, and lightning. But in recent years, the land of sound (often referred to as the land of rice fields) had obtained a military strength to rival the powerful ninja countries, and so had been officially recognised as the sixth great nation. As a result, a Kage was appointed as the ninja leader of the village. His name was Imaro Namena and had been singlehandedly responsible for Otogakure's rise to joining the ranks of the greater nations. Upon his death his replacement had been his grandson, Ketsu Takashi. Everyone knew Ketsu had been killed by A, the Raikage, but not many people knew the invasion of Otogakure by Kumogakure ninja that had led to the death of the second Senkage had been the result of Ketsu's underhanded dealings. He'd been lining his pockets while letting Otogakure fall into disrepair, therefore leaving the village open to attack.

But Otogakure's dark past was ending, and in the wake of the appointment of a new Senkage, they were prospering.

This war, which had been going on for half a decade, had divided the great nations. Alliances were made, treaties signed; Konohagakure had immediately allied with Otogakure, Sunagakure joined forces with their allies from Iwagakure, and the final two hidden villages Kumogakure and Kirigakure were joined with a similar accord. And the smaller countries that were also home to ninja had been completely swallowed in the wake of the initial hostilities.

A new treaty had been signed, decisions were made, and it was the pronouncement that Konoha and Oto were about to be joined together in a way they never had before, that led to the current festival-like atmosphere in the village hidden in the leaves.

The celebrations had gone on well into the night. The sky over Konohagakure was alight with fireworks, with the sound of laughter and a peaceful contentment that came with full bellies and blissful ignorance. What did they know of the sacrifice that had gone into this night, and this celebration? They only knew that this war had gone on long enough and perhaps with the recent engagement that some sort of peace talks could form. But they also had to know that nobody was going to ally themselves with a nation that looked down on them. Oto had been allies with Konoha since before the war, so falling in step along with them had been easy. But the rest of them? No, there was no way they would easily give in to the proposed peace talks.

Sakura Haruno had no faith in the honour of the other great nations. As the night wore on and she grew more and more restless, she found the sunrise to be a sight sorely missed. As a Kunoichi, she'd spent many missions travelling to other places, but not since becoming a Jounin had she watched the sunrise with Konoha bathed in the orange tint of the early morning sun. A new era in the land of fire had begun, with this sunrise a hopeful sign of things to come.

She hoped the other nations decided it was time to bring the killing to an end.

Sakura finished watching the sunrise, standing on the patio of these temporary accomodations (she was excited by a completely different festivity this morning), and then turned around to find that her best friend had snuck in to have a last minute "talk" with her. She still needed to decide between wearing a gorgeous lavender dress for the wedding or a sleek black number to match her mood. She ran a hand through her short hair, pausing momentarily to grasp the ends.

"Naruto," she said scoldingly, "you're not supposed to be in here."

This was a room set aside for the dress and makeup of the "important" female guests. The bride was already ready, in an adjacent room, with her family. Naruto Uzumaki glanced in the direction he knew they were, and then focused his bright blue eyes on his best friend, a cheeky grin lighting up his handsome face.

"I know Sakura-chan, but I wanted to see my beautiful best friend one last time as a single man."

Sakura giggled softly. "In that case, you can help me decide what to wear."

He baulked. "Didn't you have your dress picked out days ago?"

She nodded her head, feeling emotional now. "I changed my mind about that dress. It didn't compliment me."

Naruto sighed, screwing up his nose. "You mean you had a wardrobe crisis and threw it out, right?"

The pinkette nodded her head and tears started to form in her emerald eyes.

"Sakura?"

"I'm sorry Naruto, I just wanted to look good for this. Not to steal the show of course, but I didn't want to show up in something hideous and ruin everything."

The tears were pouring out now and the blond embraced her.

"Sakura…"

"I'm being stupid, I know."

He shook his head. "Nah, chicks are always tearing up at weddings."

She giggled again. "At the wedding Naruto, not in the changing room."

He laughed, pulling away and squeezing her hand. "Come on, let's get you dressed."

They were incredibly comfortable with each other, having grown up together. They'd never dated, viewing each other too much like a sibling, but had seen each other naked, which was a confusing concept to wrap their heads around without the embarrassing memory burned into their subconscious. It was a mission, there had only been one bathroom… no more need be said.

The dress Naruto helped Sakura pick out (there was a rack here her next best friend Ino Yamanaka had had set up, knowing she was in need) was champagne coloured, with simple tassel-like trimmings and a matching shawl. She still felt like she needed to wear something black, so slipped into dark high heels and picked up the black purse she'd brought along when she thought she might wear a black dress. The material felt so delicate she worried it might tear, but the slip was at least comfortable against her skin.

Naruto admired her. "You look beautiful."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You're not marrying me, dobe."

The reference to that nickname sobered the air. There was someone missing from today's celebration. He was still in Otogakure, and the pinkette missed him intolerably. He was a Konohagakure emissary and had been in the land of sound for several months. When he returned, Sakura intended to insist he never leave her again. His absence was another reason she was so down today. There was no way he'd return to Konoha just to watch Naruto get married. The two were currently not talking to each other, and the raven haired man knew how to hold a grudge.

In an effort to lighten the mood, Naruto started bobbing up and down, earning himself a grin from the pinkette.

"Let's leave before the bride exits the adjacent room, shall we?" Sakura asked, offering her arm to the blond.

He took it and she half dragged him out of the room. This building was taller than the smaller structure next to it – the latter held the Shinto shrine in which Naruto was about to lose his freedom. They ambled down the staircase, and strolled into the waiting room to the side of the entrance in the Shinto building only to find that they were the first ones to arrive. The Shinto priest came in a moment later, sorted some last minute details with the groom, and left hurriedly.

"He's more excited about this than you are," Sakura said.

"Well, I am the son of the fourth Hokage," Naruto said cheekily.

"You're getting married," Sakura told the bobbing blond. "Stop acting like a four-year-old."

Naruto grinned maniacally. "Yeah, yeah Sakura-chan, like that'll ever happen."

She smoothed out the material of his montsuki haori hakama unnecessarily. He was so clean shaven, smelt so good, and had the overall look of a civilised man, that she hardly recognised him. She giggled at that.

"At least you're admitting it."

He shrugged, now listening intently for the imminent arrival of the rest of his friends and surrogate family. Sakura went silent also, her gaze drifting out the window and to the light hint of dew on the glass. It was a few minutes before the blond realised she was upset again.

"Please be happy for me Sakura," Naruto said softly, trying to stare into her eyes as she continued to look away from him.

She gave a deep sigh and nodded, forcing a smile onto her face and locking eyes with him again.

"I am happy for you Naruto. I'm just…"

She trailed off and he knew what she'd wanted to say. He took her hands in his and kissed her fingers softly.

"Teme will be back Sakura. Even he's not so stupid as to let you down when it matters most." He paused, and then grinned. "Believe it."

She chuckled softly, smiling for real now; it was still a very sad one though. Watching Naruto excited about his imminent wedding vows, despite the fact that this was an arranged marriage made her grateful that her future would be of her own making. The blond wasn't marrying some ugly harridan or anything at least, and Sakura was happy for them both. He was the son of the fourth Hokage. The last of his clan, the last of his family, and this union was going to be good for Konoha. This made Naruto happier than Sakura had seen him in a long time.

His bride had been chosen by the Hokage herself, since Naruto had no family left, and the legendary Sannin felt like he was her own anyway. Tsunade had chosen well, with a little help from certain people of course. Sakura trusted them both on this. She grabbed Naruto and threw her arms around him, ignoring the fact that they were both well dressed and well groomed. She was in danger of creasing the smooth, silky material of her dress. Because she wasn't expected to do anything at this wedding, as the best friend of the groom, she felt confident in opting out of the traditional kimono. This wasn't her day after all.

"I love you Naruto," she said, nuzzling his neck and feeling emotional again. "Never forget that, no matter what happens."

"Are you planning on attacking me again Sakura-chan?"

She laughed. "No, you baka. But I will change my mind if you don't stop bobbing up and down. It's incredibly distracting."

He stopped moving. "Oops, sorry."

She pulled away as the sound of people entering the building reached their ears.

"Are you nervous?"

He nodded mutely. She sighed.

"Naruto!"

The voice belonged to master Jiraiya, Naruto's godfather and the man who singlehandedly tamed the Hokage. He was forever doing things to piss her off, but over time she'd decided to give him a go (but still refused to marry him). The blonde didn't want to settle down, in any way.

"I'm too young", she had cheekily told Sakura, as though the pinkette hadn't known her real age – that vanity jutsu of hers notwithstanding.

"Pervy sage." Naruto nodded to him, and for once, the Sannin ignored the jab.

"Well, well," the pervert said. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than you will be when granny finds out you came with a date that wasn't her."

Naruto motioned playfully to the Shinobi who'd followed the pervert into the room.

"Very funny, Naruto," Kakashi Hatake said, holding the recent edition of Icha Icha, but not reading it.

He nodded to both of his former students. His eye twitching as he surveyed what Sakura was wearing.

"Sakura!" Jiraiya yelled, as though just noticing her. "You look beautiful! Are you going to get married next?"

"Come on Jiraiya," the silver haired Shinobi said lazily. "Out of here before we have to cancel the wedding due to structural damage done to the building."

Kakashi had noticed the clenching of Sakura's fists and half dragged the older man away.

"See you inside," Jiraiya called over his shoulder.

The pinkette lost all her anger and sighed. Naruto ignored the previous tension as the rest of his friends entered the waiting room: Kiba Inuzuka slapping him on the back and congratulating him, Choji Akimichi embracing him gently (a reflection of his happiness and kind nature), and Shikamaru Nara smiling slightly despite his reluctance to partake in such a troublesome show of affection. They looked so grown up, all in their black suits, and ready to have photos taken of them at a moment's notice.

The blond glanced back at his best friend, noting that Sakura hadn't been able to hold back the tears after all and gave her a goofy grin, trying to cheer her up. He waved her over.

"Come on Sakura, you're not getting out of this."

There was no more reason to delay now. Traditionally, the actual wedding was performed only in front of family, friends, and co-workers, but this was a wedding that had all six great nations talking, ally or not, and officials from all over the land of fire as well as the land of sound had wanted to be a part of it. It was only after several tantrums from Naruto and drunken threats from Lady Tsunade that said officials agreed to only attend the reception (kekkon hiroen).

Everybody except for the bride and her father filed into the Shinto shrine and took their places. Kakashi stood next to Sakura and she nervously took his hand in hers, entwining their fingers for comfort as the bride eventually entered.

Hinata Hyuuga looked beautiful, no stunningly beautiful, in her shiromuku (white kimono). She was literally the most beautiful bride Sakura had ever seen and she felt herself crying the instant she laid eyes on the Hyuuga heiress as Hiashi accompanied her. Nearby, Hanari Hyuuga held Hanabi's hand, watching her eldest daughter tearfully; Neji and his parents, Hizashi and Nami Hyuuga were next to them, both men impassive while Nami teared up (a male Hyuuga trait… and freakishly inherited by Hanabi anyway).

Sakura cried the entire time. She did so quietly, squeezing Kakashi's hand every time either Naruto or Hinata glanced furtively at each other. How had she missed that? This wasn't just some arranged marriage for them.

'No wonder Naruto was so happy. Why didn't he tell me?'

Maybe the idiot assumed she knew, or just "forgot".

They kissed; Sakura had to refrain from crushing Kakashi's hand. He ignored the renewed squeeze that would bring a lesser man to his knees in pain, but his eye twitched nonetheless. Once they moved to the reception, Sakura finally let go of her ex-Sensei's hand. The kekkon hiroen was fun and for a while, Sakura forgot her own troubled, sombre love life, and danced with each person who asked (even Kiba). Once the happy couple had left, after many hugs and well wishes, Sakura walked away from the building, still feeling emotional. Weddings did that. She went home, changed out of the dress, remembering to take that back to Ino's house later, and rested for a while.

She didn't dream, and awoke shortly after noon, feeling miserable. Where had the morning gone? Sakura decided to take more aggressive action in her own happiness. Watching her best friend marry someone he was clearly smitten with had helped her realise she wanted that too. Every young girl wanted a perfect, fairy tale wedding and today, Hinata had gotten that.

Sakura jumped out of bed, dressed in full ninja gear (which was expected even around the village) and left her apartment, remembering to place the seals over her windows and door. She needed to see Lady Tsunade. She needed an excuse to take a mission and go to Otogakure.

…

He found himself watching the celebrations without taking part. It wasn't for the greater good, of this he was sure. How could anything that only strengthened the bond between Konohagakure and Otogakure be good? There was some sort of engagement, and having heard snippets of people talking about a wedding this morning, the man believed the bride had been from Otogakure. But seeing the people file into the Shinto shrine, he was surprised to see she was actually a Hyuuga.

Not that it mattered.

The man was only here to keep an eye on her. If he could get close to her, over power her, and take the pinkette away from here, he was certainly authorised to do so. His master wanted her. Sakura Haruno was the renowned medic that trained under and surpassed the legendary slug queen Lady Tsunade. But the idea that this slight of a woman had surpassed even her own Hokage was a stretch of the mind the man could not imagine. She was attractive of course, and that dress she'd worn definitely complimented her figure – a well-toned body that got the blood pumping south, definitely. But looking at her, he couldn't see the strong Kunoichi he'd heard so much about. She was crying of all things.

The man shook his head, disgusted.

A medic: that was all she was, some girl who had become a formidable medic rather than an acceptable Kunoichi. That was what he believed at least, seeing her emotional outpouring while more seasoned Shinobi stood stoically. But Sunagakure was in desperate need of a formidable medic. There wasn't much time left, and this war was dragging on for too long. If he could just get the pinkette back to Suna, then his master would take it from there. His master, Gaara Sabaku, was the strongest of the hierarchy in Sunagakure and his reputation alone scared most people into submission. It would be a piece of cake to convince this insignificant Kunoichi to do what they needed her to do.

Getting impatient, the man cast a henge on himself, grabbed a festival mask, and mingled with the party goers. It was morning, but not early, and the excitement of the wedding was still lingering in the air. Many civilians were still wearing the masks they had brought for this occasion, so he blended in nicely. Of course, these civilians were also suffering from hangovers or extreme fatigue from staying awake throughout the course of the night.

It was tradition in Konohagakure for the night before a wedding (especially such a high profile one) that the village would stop everything to celebrate. They took such events very seriously, funnily enough, with the next few days promising to bring out the lethargy in the civilians and slowdown in the ninja community. It was one straw short of continuing the celebration, as far as the man was concerned. But it made him smile slightly, despite himself. He was walking amongst the enemy, searching for a well-known Kunoichi (who had disappeared into the crowd after departing the Shinto building) to kidnap and take to another country, and yet suddenly feeling like he'd been a part of the night's festivities. He didn't let it affect him however, his eyes scanning the area through the slits in his mask. He wasn't familiar with her chakra signature, but fingered the photo in his pocket; it was of her from her Genin days.

He didn't need it now of course, having spotted her in that dress and knowing now what she looked like grown up. The pink hair was a definite give away. He would be lying to himself if he didn't admit she was a tempting piece of eye candy. But no, he was on duty.

The man decided to check out the ninja residential area and when the sun was at its peak, he spotted a flash of pink hair. She was in ninja gear now, and jumping from rooftop to rooftop, heading in the direction of the Hokage Building. He followed her without jumping onto the nearest building but quickly entered the Hokage's place, skirting through the shadows, noticing that (probably due to the celebrations) there was nobody around. The Hokage's office was higher up. He found the door easily, remembering that a Suna ninja had interrogated some civilian from the land of fire for information on something trivial only to discover the civilian had been a periodic visitor to the Hokage Building.

This was how the man knew where he was going.

"Sakura, are you sure?"

The voice belonged to the Hokage. The man employed the strongest genjutsu he knew; it was his specialty (which was why he was specifically chosen for this mission). The two women on the other side of the door didn't hear him slip through an already open adjoining door to get closer. He could see them now.

Sakura nodded her head. "I need to go."

Tsunade sighed. "Well, I guess with the baka getting married and Sai and Yamato both indisposed on other missions starting tomorrow, I could send Kakashi along with you."

"No, I want to go alone."

"Sakura!" Tsunade scolded. "Never! We are still at war, or have you forgotten? Every ninja who leaves this village must be escorted, you know this."

The pinkette lowered her head, and her shishou lost her aggravated tone.

"I'll assign a squad of ANBU and a few special Jounin to go with you."

"Thank you, shishou."

"Oh don't thank me yet Sakura. When you arrive in Otogakure, I need you to pass a message onto that ridiculous excuse for a Senkage." The older woman grumbled. "Thinks he can just skip out on the wedding of the century. I know him – he didn't want me to pummel him for encouraging Jiraiya…"

She rambled on while Sakura waited patiently. Tsunade eventually calmed down.

"Give me time to get the team members ready for you, and the paperwork on the ANBU that the idiot council wants me to do from now on." The Hokage scratched her chin softly. "And no matter what, you will come back by the end of the month, got it?"

The man moved away as the pinkette was dismissed, and unfortunately, Sakura quickly ran into some short haired brunette outside of the Hokage's room, deciding to join her friend who was about to go for an early lunch. The pinkette spent the rest of the day in the company of others, making it impossible for the man to get her alone. So he resolved to not trying to grab her. He needed to find out her intended route and send a message back to Suna. This capture was going to take more than one Shinobi sneaking covertly into Konoha could handle.

…

The sand Shinobi had been travelling for days, heading through territory controlled by Konohagakure. But instead of the usual route, they intended to intercept an entourage of leaf ninja who were on their way to the land of sound. They needed to cut them off before the Konoha Shinobi crossed the border. Their route took them close enough to Konoha though, and they had to deviate slightly so as to not come up behind their quarry.

Any Shinobi worth their salt would soon realise they were being followed, so intercepting them from the west was the best option, or at least the one they'd managed to agree on. Still, this would put them dangerously close to the land of sound before intercepting their target, but it couldn't be helped. Less than ten minutes behind the sand Shinobi, another group from Suna was following in their wake. This was to prevent ambushes yes, but it was also back up; there was no telling which ninja the Hokage had sent to accompany Sakura Haruno.

The sand Shinobi were ANBU level, and a part of a special unit that combined high levelled tracking and assault capabilities. Their targets were always high priority. A quick message from their spy in Konoha and they found themselves having to personally take charge of this mission. There was too much at stake to let the star student arrive at her destination.

Unfortunately, one of the ninja in the leaf group had the Byakugan. That long brown hair was a trademark – he was in the bingo book. Neji Hyuuga was the most powerful member of his clan for generations, for his age of course. The ANBU tracking squad barely had time to set up their ambush before the entourage accompanying Sakura Haruno spotted them. Mia, the leader of the sand ninja, was also the cousin of the sand siblings (the nickname known far and wide for the children of the Kazekage). She was the strongest in her immediate family (father and mother), but no match for a high levelled Hyuuga like Neji, let alone her red headed cousin. But knowing that another squad was right behind them, she attacked the enemy with everything she had.

Sakura could hold her own, beating into the enemy with chakra enhanced fists and deflecting thrown kunai with her own weapon. Neji activated his Byakugan and used his Hakkeshō Kaiten (the rotation technique). The fight was coming up good for them, but the clinking sounds of metal hitting metal seemed to have hastened the arrival of a second squad of sand ninja: it consisted of four special Jounin plus the older siblings of the infamous Gaara Sabaku. The pinkette hit a female sand ninja, sending her slamming into a tree. The blonde female in the new group looked especially pissed off at this, making Sakura wonder.

She moved into a new stance, the Konoha ANBU holding their ground as the blonde sand Kunoichi sent an unbelievably powerful gust of wind at the pinkette. Sakura forced chakra to her feet, trying not to get blown away. This was an extremely powerful jutsu! A one eyed weasel had erupted from the woman's iron fan and the strange looking man next to her called out.

"Oi Temari! We need her alive, you idiot!"

"Don't call me an idiot, you freaky kabuki face painted loser!"

Sakura gawked at them as they argued. They were siblings, insane, and after her!

"Neji," she murmured, as the first sand squad were all knocked out.

The Hyuuga nodded to her and then indicated to the leaf ANBU who had accompanied them. It was only them and Neji who had accompanied Sakura. She'd insisted to the Hokage that a larger party would only draw more attention, and got her wish. Now she was kind of wishing she'd relented and brought the rest of Neji's team with her. He'd insisted on coming, his Byakugan constantly keeping an eye out, and having noticed the enemy before the sand ninja could get the drop on them.

'Thank Kami for small favours.'

With her allies out of the way, Sakura slammed her fist into the ground at the same moment the siblings stopped their bickering.

They really shouldn't have both come out. They hadn't let their guards down however, and jumped out of the way of the destruction Sakura had just caused. But the sand ANBU who had been much closer were not so fortunate. Feeling proud of herself, Sakura did not notice at first they had another visitor.

"It's about time you got here," Kankuro said, his lips twitching as he struggled not to smirk at his younger brother.

The red head had his eyes trained on the pink haired Kunoichi, his expressionless face reminding her of the one she loved on her boyfriend. She shook herself out of this reverie and positioned herself, ready to fight, with Neji standing nearby, in a Hyuuga fighting stance. But it was all for naught.

A wave of sand crashed down, tearing down trees, and sweeping the leaf Shinobi out of the way. It cut them down, leaving them bleeding and battered as it lashed out, streaming toward the lone Kunoichi. The siblings of this man that Sakura suddenly realised was the infamous Gaara Sabaku, stood quietly, just watching her as she evaded the sand. It had gone for Neji first, torrents of the stuff erupting out of the ground beneath him, negating his most powerful trigram attack. But to his credit, he lasted longer than the ANBU who were targeted after he was.

Those lavender eyes turned to see Sakura rolling out of the way of more sand and bleeding and knocked backwards hard, away from the battlefield, he could only watch. He tried to activate his Byakugan, but a stinging sensation shocked his body as he tried to use his chakra. His vision blurred, but he saw the sand wrap itself around Sakura's body, like a lover. He couldn't help her, fighting his own fatigue. It wasn't even a long battle! He had more fight than this! He couldn't comprehend the exhaustion that was claiming him.

Sakura saw him fall and cried out as the sand squeezing her body held her firmly.

Gaara appeared in front of her in a flurry of sand and stared intently at her, his eyes raking her body. He was expressionless, but a slight twitch of the corner of his mouth indicated what he was thinking about. The pinkette couldn't fight anymore, surprised by her lack of energy, and closed her eyes (though not unconscious, yet).

She could hear what the sand ninja were saying as they relaxed, their mission complete.

"I don't think she's your type," Kankuro teased, noticing the way his brother was staring at the Kunoichi.

Temari chuckled slightly, her eyes raking over the barely contained expression on her baby brother's face. The sand ninja ignored that this conversation was not going unheard, not caring that there was still a conscious leaf Shinobi watching and listening, even though he could barely keep his eyes open. He felt like a failure, watching how easily the red head had taken control of the battlefield; he assumed this was the renowned son of the Kazekage. No-one had ever beaten him in battle.

He still felt like a failure.

Neji closed his eyes as Kankuro opened his big mouth again.

"Well if you're done here," he said cheekily, "why don't we bring our new friend home, shall we?"

Gaara ignored his taunting, lifted the pink haired Kunoichi effortlessly using his sand, then turned, and disappeared into the darkening forest, forcing his siblings to collect their fallen comrades before following his lead.

…


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ninja nations are at war, but Sakura Haruno finds herself in a unique position to end hostilities when Gaara Sabaku takes her prisoner. But no-one says no to him and lives and he wants more from her than she's willing to give. GaaSaku.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Newly edited and uploaded. Enjoy! :)
> 
> For reference:  
> no kimi: a suffix from Japanese history used to entitle Lords and Ladies in the Court.  
> heika: is used for sovereign royalty. I know it's not accurate, but I wanted it to reflect the fact that Gaara is treated as sovereign royalty, even though there's no such thing as a prince in ninja villages. It's just a reference to the fact that he will one day succeed his father as Kazekage. Kaze-heika basically meaning here "the next Kazekage".

…

Chapter 2: Prisoner of War.  
…

The first sensation of consciousness was just a vague impression; trees meant a forest. She was in a forest. Sakura Haruno could only see the blur of green through half opened eyes, but the smell gave it away. She was more than familiar with the scent of foliage, coming from a village hidden by said greenery. The fragrance was somewhat comforting as she took a few seconds to remember what had happened to her. She'd been travelling to Otogakure, entourage in tow and then… Neji!

She remembered him falling, the shift in the battle so sudden she'd barely had time to worry what had happened to him. Sakura tried to move her body. Images of the Hyuuga fallen and bleeding coming to her mind; the panic did nothing to help her. Her body felt on fire, and she moaned, realising someone was carrying her. The first explanation that entered her still drowsy brain was that she was suffering from the after effects of some kind of drug, but Sakura _highly_ doubted that some foreign substance had magically overwhelmed her system before she'd realised she'd ingested anything. There had been no opportunity during that fight.

It _had_ to be the weak feeling of being drained of chakra.

Someone was definitely carrying her though; squinting her eyes and blinking out the remainder of her sleepy vision revealed the red head who had knocked her out. She'd recognised him on the battlefield immediately as Gaara Sabaku; he'd acquired his nickname of 'The Demon of the Sand' because of his control over sand, and the fact that no prey ever escaped his grasp. Sakura had always thought his nickname was overrated. She'd read about him – from the fact that he was only two months older than _her_ , and the youngest of the infamous sand siblings, she couldn't believe he'd actually earned such a demonic reputation. Maybe he was an asshole, or some kind of delinquent, but not a _demon_. There was no such thing.

Sakura tried and failed to move again, the sand conjured by Gaara Sabaku holding her so gently, like a fine piece of china he was afraid of breaking. But the sand had a stubbornly powerful grip on her that even her inhuman strength wouldn't be able to break through. Sakura closed her eyes and tried to summon her chakra, not remotely surprised that it didn't come. The sand seemed capable of limiting how much she could use, which was a feat in and of itself. Laced around her body, the tightest grip it had seemed to be on her wrists; she was bound with the sand as one would expect to be bound with rope or wire.

But her struggles had not gone unnoticed and the red head halted the party, the other Suna ninja stopping immediately. Gaara placed Sakura down on the forest floor like she was a rag doll and she instinctively pulled her knees up to her chin in a defensive posture. She didn't expect him to apologize to her or offer her something to eat or drink, really, but as he moved away and the sand ninja started setting up a small camp, she was _very_ thirsty, sore, and uncomfortable. The sand tying her hands and feet together shifted slightly, like a snake would wind itself around its victim.

The red head glanced at her as her eyes drifted away from her wrists and their eyes locked. For a moment she thought he would come charging over to her and attack her or something (there was a barely contained look of _hunger_ about him right now that she couldn't repress the shiver of fear wracking her body). Eventually however, he turned away and the blonde Kunoichi who had to be Temari Sabaku stared at Sakura, _oddly_.

Temari could hardly believe what she was seeing – the eldest sibling wasn't used to seeing Gaara get so worked up over an enemy, let alone someone he _knew_. Gaara was not an expressive person, but for him, staring at the pinkette was the same as someone else visibly drooling or turning red from anger. This made Temari worry what he would do when they returned to Suna. They needed the pinkette cooperative, not that the blonde would blame the girl if she chose execution over helping them, but Temari decided to keep an eye on her, for her own sake. Gaara was a selfish man, and when he wanted something, nobody could stop him. A short while later Mia, Temari's cousin and best friend, came up to her.

"Temari-chan," Mia said, indicating to the tea the oldest Sabaku sibling had just finished brewing. "May I pass it around?"

Mia loved Temari's cooking, be it Green Sage Tea or roasted pork with chestnut soup, it didn't matter. Temari nodded to her cousin and Mia started to serve her lady, moving onto Kankuro and the sand ANBU. She earned herself a smirk from the blonde when she approached Gaara.

"Gaara no kimi," Mia said, bowing slightly and ignoring the way he frowned at the suffix. "You need sustenance as well."

Gaara shook his head and indicated to their captive; Sakura was barely listening, her eyes raking over the surrounding area as she tried to think of the best way of escaping. But her captors had thought this through and she wasn't going to be able to break free of her restraints, let alone get back to her entourage without the sand ninja following and just grabbing her again. She'd been a captive once before, but that had lasted only a few minutes, as her enemy had seriously underestimated leaf ninja. He'd died in excruciating pain. Sakura did _not_ take well to being underestimated.

It was the pink hair. It had to be the pink hair. It was always the _bloody_ pink hair.

But this was different, she knew it; _this_ enemy knew of her abilities and took every precaution to ensure she would not be able to access her inhuman strength, let alone enough chakra to stop herself from falling over with exhaustion. She was completely dependent on this _Gaara_ , and the feeling of helplessness was bubbling inside of her in a fury. But the pinkette kept her anger in check. When the time was right, she would take it out on him, and _his_ entourage. She snapped her head around as one of the sand ninja walked casually over to her.

"You have a little chakra."

It was the red head ANBU that Sakura had hit during the ambush that approached her. She knelt down next to the pinkette; her face was hidden of course, the porcelain mask in place, despite the chakra infused punch. She had hit the Kunoichi in the stomach, but the force of her attack had not broken anything, unfortunately. This woman was tough, but Sakura could tell she was still aching from barely healed internal damage. There was obviously no medical ninja amongst the present sand ninja.

"Gaara left you a little chakra to heal your wounds," the girl said. "My name is Mia, by the way."

Why was she being so friendly? She was the enemy after all. Maybe the force of her impacting that tree had addled her brain. Sakura looked up at her uncertainly. She didn't want to be lulled into a false sense of security. For whatever reason these ninja had attacked her and kidnapped her, so she wasn't in the mood to play nice with them. The pinkette frowned at the girl named Mia. But still, if she behaved for a few minutes, maybe she could figure out _why_ they wanted her.

"Sakura," she said softly.

"I know who you are," Mia said. "Everyone does."

Sakura nodded, understanding. "Why am I here?"

"I can't tell you that, sorry. But you'll find out soon enough. Lord Gaara is responsible for your safety, and he won't let anything happen to you, as long as you're cooperative, so don't worry, okay?"

"You're a sand ninja, I'm not going to believe anything you say," Sakura said, unnerved by these niceties. "I'm not weak," she added.

"I do not doubt your skills," Mia said. "Your reputation–"

"Is that why you kidnapped me, because of my _reputation_?"

' _Okay, screw being nice.'_

She didn't have the energy, let alone the motivation right now, and a sickening sensation twisted her stomach every time this girl tried to play nice with her.

Mia didn't answer her question. "Do you want some tea? Temari makes the best Green Sage Tea in the land of wind."

"What happened to the ninja accompanying me?" Sakura asked, ignoring _her_ question.

"The ANBU or the cutie?" Mia asked and the pinkette raised her eyebrows at this.

"You mean Neji Hyuuga," Sakura said. "And I mean _all_ of them."

"They should survive."

_'_ _Should?'_

Sakura grunted at her.

"The Hyuuga was strong," Mia said, "so more than likely he'll recover; the ANBU, less likely, but still good odds. Lord Gaara's attacks are not without mercy after all. If he wanted them dead, they would be. Are you sure you don't want any tea?"

"You sound like a fan."

"He's my cousin. So are Temari and Kankuro. We grew up together."

"But you still have to call him Lord?"

Mia frowned at the pinkette behind her mask. "It is the law. But I do it because I respect him, I respect them all."

"Law?"

The ANBU sighed. "If you don't want the tea I'll take it myself."

Sakura hesitated. What was the chance it was drugged?

"It's perfectly safe," the red head said, as if reading her thoughts.

Sakura sighed, and nodded her head. "I'll take it."

"Good. You'll need your strength."

The pinkette opened her mouth to ask her _why_ , but Mia left her quickly, moving over to Temari, the blonde who was staring oddly at Sakura. Again. It was unnerving.

Another ANBU brought her the tea and she drank it slowly, taking in her surroundings again. By her estimate, they had travelled for maybe a day and a half. It amazed her that whatever this _Gaara_ had done to her had knocked her out for so long. She could feel the minute chakra Mia had been talking about – it was barely enough to heal surface wounds. But the sand hadn't hurt her all that much, just scratches and light bruises from her struggling. It would seem, that whatever they wanted her for, they needed her healthy at least.

She thought about that.

Even though she'd like to think she was worth more than just the medical aspect of her training as a Kunoichi, Sakura was a renowned medic. Her healing skills always seemed to be the first thing people thought of when her name came up, and when they met her. So it was more than a possibility that this was the reason she was still alive. She shifted her gaze over toward the other Sabaku sibling… Kankuro. That was his name. He'd told Temari, when she was fighting them, that they needed her alive. Sakura remembered how annoyed he was when the blonde had attacked her with a potentially lethal jutsu.

Sakura let her eyes drift again, this time over to Gaara.

He was sitting apart from everyone else as his siblings and cousin seemed to huddle together, the few ANBU who had survived the ambush sitting nearby. The future Kazekage didn't turn to look at her, but the moment she looked in his direction, she could've sworn he stiffened slightly. She pulled on the sand constricting her wrists and his head moved to the side slightly as though trying desperately not to turn and look at her. So he could feel what she was doing to the sand then?

Interesting.

Sakura lifted her hands and–

"Stop it."

The suddenness of Gaara's voice, echoing slightly over the area caught everyone by surprise. They all looked around at the sound as he glared in Sakura's direction without looking directly at her. She obediently let her hands fall into her lap and lowered her eyes. Eventually, the others stopped staring at them and turned away again, except for Kankuro, who moved closer to the fire, keeping Sakura in his peripherals as he pulled a puppet out of the summoning scroll on his back. She watched him, intrigued by the contraption. It distracted her from what had just happened and helped her hide the blush heating her face.

He had _spoken_!

She'd just heard Gaara's voice for the first time and felt her body tremble slightly. His voice was deep but not too deep, husky but not coarse, and… she didn't know any other way to describe it. This sudden infatuation was difficult to suppress and she had to close her eyes and block out _everything_. The night sounds died out in her ears and even the feel of the grass beneath her disappeared. She needed to get a hold of herself. Sakura tried to find a comfortable position and get a few hours of rest at least, the exhaustion from having her chakra drained aiding her slip into unconsciousness.

Eventually, the camp noises died down (not that they were thunderous to begin with, being in enemy territory), and Gaara was the only one left awake. The pinkette had drifted off also, but he heard her stirring a few hours later, as though she wasn't used to the forest floor as her bed. He glanced over at her, watching the way she squirmed against his sand as an automatic reflex. He imagined she was trying to break it mentally, since every physical attempt she made ultimately proved futile. He admired her resolve to never give up, and never accept her fate. In another time and place, he might have considered courting her (he preferred the spirited woman to the fancy, freeloading type his father was pressuring him to marry).

Too bad.

Her earlier attempt to see how far he'd go when she squirmed against the sand bothered him and perhaps it was best that she was an enemy. He needed to get these traitorous thoughts out of his head. Still, her body was nicely shaped; the lean musculature that was obvious from her Kunoichi training did not rob her of her womanly figure, even if she wasn't remotely buxom. She was a healthy blend of all the right _aspects_.

Gaara looked away from her as she sensed his eyes on her and when he looked back, he realised she was staring, her lips parted slightly as if appraising him. The arrogance radiated off of him. He wasn't smirking, but inwardly, Sakura was sure he was grinning maniacally. She rolled her eyes and turned her body to face away from him, trying to get comfortable again.

After a few moments, Gaara made a decision and walked silently over to the pinkette. He'd done this so quickly and quietly that she hadn't heard him and was startled when she felt his fingers touching her wrist. His eyes on hers, he shifted the sand binding her and lifted her hand to level with their staring match, as though emphasising a point.

"Even your strength can't break chakra infused sand," he said simply. "It's useless to try."

She swallowed heavily, _very_ aware of his proximity to her. "Chakra infused sand?"

Gaara nodded. She had heard about him, revealing no surprise by his explanation of how and why her attempts to break free were failing. He could see it on her face. She knew all about him, even beyond what was listed in the Konoha version of the bingo book. Had she studied him excessively or just accidentally come across information that was a Kage level secret? He didn't consider who he was much worthy of being some kind of inter-country secret, but because of his power and position, the leaders of the great nations treated him like someone twice his age with far more experience than he could actually boast.

The strongest sand Shinobi in generations they called him, and all at the age of twenty-one years. He had had his birthday only a few days before receiving the message from their spy in Konoha. Speaking of which, _that_ Shinobi was due to leave and return home soon. His mission there was over after all. They knew very well how to sneak someone into the village hidden in the leaves, but hanging around inside their walls would only draw suspicion.

Gaara drew his attention back to the pinkette.

"It will restrict how much chakra you can use," he explained, dropping her hands into her lap as she looked down at it finally. "If you try to use more than it allows, it will not work."

She half expected him to tell her it would shock her, or at least start draining her chakra or something like that. He walked away from her and she was disappointed. She wanted to converse more with the man, and hear that _godly_ voice again. At the very same moment she had this thought, Sakura mentally slapped herself. When that girl, Mia, had tried to talk to her, she'd felt disturbed. But now here she was, wanting to talk with the very man who had made her capture possible!

She shivered. That sand attack of his could take out an army.

Sakura continued to stare at him however, trying to figure out what she was going to do once they arrived in Suna. There was no avoiding that she was going to be brought before the Kazekage, questioned, and possibly tortured, for whatever the reason was that she'd been targeted. Gaara looked over at her and again, their eyes locked. All of a sudden, he didn't like that she was staring at him again. He moved his hand slightly and the sand holding tightly to her moved the pinkette to roll away from him. She gave a disgruntled yelp but the red head ignored her complaint and just told her to get some sleep.

…

The sight of Suna rising on the horizon was heaven to the sand ninja. The ANBU at least, had been coming and going in this region for a while now, and it was good to be home finally. Of course, this meant that Sakura Haruno, their leaf captive, was in for hospitality fit for a criminal. She was a prisoner of war, and knew she would be treated as such. But she wondered about the confinement protocols of Sunagakure; there wasn't exactly going to be a suite waiting for her that was fit for a queen. She just hoped she would have access to a bathroom.

' _Kami, please let there be a bathroom.'_

Glancing sideways at Mia, she noted that the red head was signalling the guards from a distance. Gaara had a grip on Sakura's elbow, having taken a hold of her the moment they left the forest and entered the desert. There was no leaf tracking squad coming after them, and the vastness of the sands was such that she wouldn't be able to get far, so she wondered at the reasons for grabbing her. She couldn't pull on the sand this way, so maybe that was it. At least he'd spared her the indignation of being carried into Suna over his shoulder or something.

Her legs were burning already in the heat of the sun, and all of a sudden, Sakura found her steps growing heavier and heavier. She was suddenly terrified beyond words by what awaited her past those high walls.

"Lord Gaara." A Shinobi jumped down from his lookout post as they arrived at the entrance, greeted the rest of Gaara's siblings, and then the ANBU. His eyes flickered over Sakura before returning to the future Kazekage. "The council awaits you and wishes to speak with you alone. They will debrief you before meeting with your captive, sir."

Gaara nodded, but didn't release his hold on Sakura even as the guard disappeared. Gaara hooked his arm around the pinkette's waist, supporting her weight without having to throw her over his shoulder again, and Temari and Kankuro followed their brother while the ANBU squad, including Mia disappeared using Shunshin. Sakura took note of the sandstone buildings as they jumped from rooftop to rooftop, her eyes flickering to the people watching them as they passed by. Did everyone know who she was by sight? Yeah, yeah, it was the pink hair.

They landed on the ground outside the doors to a large building. It dwarfed the surrounding structures and was clearly the administrative central of Sunagakure. Sakura looked up at it, her eyes flickering over the towering sight.

"Stay here," Gaara said, releasing his hold on the pinkette and disappearing into the building.

Kankuro and Temari flanked Sakura, but neither of them grabbed a hold of her. They didn't need to.

Inside the council building, Gaara ignored the usual servants who bowed at his approach and knocked on the council room doors before being allowed entry. The twelve members of the Sunagakure council sat on either side of the long rectangular table. Arō Sabaku, the fourth Kazekage, was nowhere to be seen. Gaara kept that particular concern to himself as he surveyed the representatives apathetically. The first to speak to him was Councillor Kokome. She was the eldest of the Suna councillors and the first to accept Gaara's official title of Kaze-heika – the title was just a posh way of saying that Gaara Sabaku was going to be the next Kazekage. She had always been fond of him. She didn't know anyone who wasn't looking forward to see what his Suna would be like – her fellow councillors were the exception.

"Welcome Lord Gaara. I trust you have the girl in custody?"

"Yes Councillor Kokome," Gaara said, bowing only slightly.

"We wish to discuss the matter of her persuasion with you before speaking with her," his name was Sakyou (a man more concerned with propriety than doing the right thing), "and the accommodations for our newest prisoner. You are to escort her to the Nadir Levels of the prison building. We have discussed her confinement and persecution with the Interrogation Core–"

"No," Gaara said firmly.

He didn't bother to elaborate. There was no way he was going to sanction torture.

Yet.

"Excuse me," Sakyou said haughtily. "Sakura Haruno is a prisoner of war, and a highly profitable one at that. If she can–"

" _No_." Gaara repeated himself more sternly this time.

He knew for sure that his father would not want to resort to torture until all other options were depleted either, not in this circumstance. Speaking of which, where was the old man anyway?

Gaara frowned slightly as the councillors hesitated in their come back to his gruff reply. They were afraid of him, to a point, because despite his normally calm exterior they had personally witnessed his ruthlessness in battle. He was more merciful than his reputation painted him to be, but when the fight was to the death, he approached it with vigour.

Eventually however, Aruma spoke up.

"There is no reason to delay," he said, stroking his beard. "Just force the girl to help, it is as simple as that."

"There is time," Gaara said.

"You would value _her_ welfare over your–"

"She is a Jounin level Kunoichi from the village hidden in the leaves," Gaara reminded them, sounding more patient than he really was. "Not some weakling civilian who merely requires a torture genjutsu or a trip to the interrogation chambers to give what we are looking for. _Convincing_ her to co-operate is the only way, _not_ torturing her. She would gladly give her life, her sanity and her body to defy her enemy, as any ninja of Suna would in her place."

Councillor Satsumi nodded her head. "I see what you mean. I am sure this is not some simple Kunoichi we are dealing with here. She _was_ trained by the legendary Lady Tsunade after all, and we cannot treat her like a weakened dog that is easily overpowered."

There were murmurs of agreement, finally, and Gaara inwardly sighed with relief. He could admit to himself that he didn't want to hurt the pinkette, but they _needed_ her help. She needed to be convinced, to _want_ to help, and he knew that torturing a Kunoichi never endeared co-operation, especially considering the delicate nature of what he was going to ask her to do.

He was grateful to Satsumi, as he often was to the only councillor he was related to, albeit distantly. Kokome had proved time and time again that she had a soft spot for Gaara, but it was Satsumi who most often than not agreed with him, or his father, over the others.

' _And they're the only women on the council,'_ Gaara mused silently to himself. Perhaps there was a reason behind all this, but he decided to ignore the implications.

"Just remember," Councillor Aruma said, snapping Gaara's thoughts back to the meeting at hand. "You are _not_ the Kazekage yet. Your influence in affairs of the state is limited, so do not test this council. Understood?"

Gaara nodded, though they could all tell he was annoyed. If they really _did_ want him to succeed his father, then they should be lending him their ear more than they were and not assuming he didn't have a voice at all. He had been chosen eventually as the Kaze-heika mostly because of his power and skills as a Shinobi, but he possessed the intelligence to run the village and they _knew_ it. It was his attitude that they truly disliked. Still, he wasn't trying to be disrespectful, but three full days of travelling took its toll, even on him. The councillor recognised this and waved to him.

"You may go. We can speak with the young Kunoichi you have brought us when you are both rested."

"Thank you, Councillor Kokome."

"Do be sure to visit your father, Lord Gaara," Kokome said, as the red head turned to leave. "He has been asking of your return."

Gaara nodded and left the council chambers. Why did Arō Sabaku not come out to greet him? This was strange. The red head returned to where his siblings were waiting for him however, remembering that the leaf Kunoichi was still with them. The sand, ever present on her wrists, was a part of him and he felt the sudden upsurge of chakra running through her. Gaara hurried back to the entrance hall just in time to see Sakura's hand enveloped in chakra before she slammed her fist into Kankuro's face. The puppet master went flying, crashing into a pillar almost nine feet away.

Incensed, Sakura turned away from him, but upon noticing Gaara, did not lose her angry expression. Only a foot away, Temari was chuckling. Apparently, she agreed with the pinkette's actions, which diminished Gaara's concern that Sakura was about to turn around and hit his sister as well. He made the sand on Sakura's wrists constrict her movements and she winced, as though stung. But he knew very well it had caused her no pain. She was still angry and the sudden and immediate pull on her chakra, coupled with her fury, was what stung her. It would seem that as a bleed through effect of him allowing her enough chakra to heal her wounds, she'd been able to siphon even more over the last day and a half, building it in her body without him realising it.

He needed to tighten his grip on her.

"Wipe that expression off your face," Temari told her baby brother as Sakura started to visibly relax. "He had it coming."

"Tend to him," Gaara told her and she sighed deeply before complying.

Sakura looked up at the red head, still surprised at the way Gaara ordered around his _older_ siblings and the fact that they obeyed him. Suna had a very unusual system for determining the chain of command; but of course, it was his power and stature that afforded him the luxury of bossing everyone around. She grunted at this.

"Why did you attack him, knowing you couldn't escape?" Gaara asked, staring impassively at the pinkette. He really was very curious about her answer.

She growled, thinking about that _comment_. It was so lewd, so crass, so... _vulgar_! The red head looked surprised at her suddenly, and Sakura slammed her fist into the wall behind her, wishing she still had access to her chakra, even limited.

"Because you Sabaku men are disgusting, you _pervert_."

Gaara suppressed a chuckle. It made him want to know what Kankuro had said or done, but decided he would ask his brother later, rather than the pinkette. He smiled slightly. Kankuro could be the crassest person Gaara knew, but he _was_ surprised that the man would make a pass at an enemy Kunoichi. It didn't matter. Gaara took Sakura by the elbow again and shunshined them into the prison building. He refused to bend to the will of the council when it came to torturing Sakura, but there was no getting around her _accommodation_ – at least not yet. For now, this was where she was going to stay.

The Nadir Levels of the prison building meant "lower" in the fact that it was out of the way and underground. It was the accommodation for prisoners of war and V.I.P prisoners, which wasn't saying much, really. The room Gaara led the pinkette into was a rectangular room with tall steel bars for walls, much like in the olden days, and the door was half way between bars and solid. There was no distinction between civilian and ninja captives, as all Shinobi or Kunoichi who entered here had their chakra blocked, in one form or another.

" _This_ is my prison?" Sakura asked, appalled at the lack of comfort, let alone toiletries, as Gaara opened the door. "What about the upper levels? At least take me somewhere I can–"

"It is for your own protection," Gaara stated dispassionately.

Sakura frowned. "Protection from whom?"

"Sunagakure will soon play host to foreign allies," he said, pushing her almost gently and backward into the cell. "It is the Kazekage's duty to inform them of our Konohagakure captive. Many among them bear ill will toward your people for your alliance with Otogakure and may try to harm you. These Nadir cells are out of the way and as you saw coming down here, are guarded. Only authorised personnel are allowed down here."

She snorted. "I would be no safer in here than in quarters of my own."

Gaara closed the cell door, staring through the bars and straight into her emerald orbs.

"Such a luxury must be earned."

She frowned. "How?"

He opened his mouth slightly to respond and then thought better of it. It would do no good to give her time to over think this. He needed her help and springing his question on her sounded better than giving her the time to come up with excuses not to do so.

She noticed his hesitation. "You want me to heal someone, don't you?"

Reluctantly, he nodded his head.

"Who?"

"You will find out soon enough."

Sakura gripped the bars of her cell. "And if I refuse?"

She was a smart girl, he thought, shouldn't she know the answer to that question? But he indulged her nonetheless, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Then you will be executed."

…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please kudo/subscribe/comment. Lotsa love! :)


	4. Bonding with the Wrong Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ninja nations are at war, but Sakura Haruno finds herself in a unique position to end hostilities when Gaara Sabaku takes her prisoner. But no-one says no to him and lives and he wants more from her than she's willing to give. GaaSaku.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Newly edited and uploaded. Enjoy! :)
> 
> For reference:  
> Okā-san: mother (with honorifics).  
> kikuchi yari: Yari is a reference to one of four traditionally made Japanese blades, in the form of a spear. The kikuchi yari is a short Japanese (samurai) spear, more like a dagger, from the Edo period. There's more to it, but you get the idea. I went looking for this on a whim because I wanted it to make sense that it was a real weapon, but not connected to ninja.

…

Chapter 3: Bonding with the Wrong Brother.  
…

 

Sakura Haruno tossed and turned on the Tatami mat that was doubling as a pathetic excuse for a mattress. She couldn't get comfortable for hours after Gaara left. When facing possible death on the battlefield she could bend the flow of the battle in order to circumvent it, but facing execution at the hands of the enemy while incarcerated, for not committing treason… She would never betray the leaf, but this was so far out of her control that it made her wish she was on that battlefield instead, because anything would be preferable to the thought that her future was not of her making. She had Naruto Uzumaki to blame for that; growing up with the knucklehead had done a number on her (among other things, she'd developed a preference for combat over politics). The blond had no sense of the delicate nature of politics.

Dwelling on her life back in Konoha was messing with her thoughts; she was more than three days out of the leaf, so they knew she was missing, right? Sakura groaned, forcing her eyes to stay shut as she thought of Sasuke as well. She missed him, but was angry at him as well; if he had just come home when he'd said that he would and if he hadn't left things between them like he had, she would never have doubted his heart enough to worry that he might never return. That man was impossibly frustrating! And somehow, Gaara reminded her of him (that indifferent exterior, those calculating eyes – that deep, sensual voice).

Sakura rolled over again, trying to rid her head of these thoughts. She wasn't thinking of having some kind of rebound relationship with Gaara… Sure, it had been several months since she'd seen Sasuke, and _he_ was the one who suggested they use the time a part from each other to take a break from each other. Their relationship had been rocky for a while. But he was an Uchiha, so it hadn't really been a suggestion. It made her wonder if Gaara was involved with anyone…

_'_ _He's the enemy, idiot! Shut up and get some fucking_ _**sleep** _ _!'_

She wanted to sleep blissfully, with nothing disturbing the emptiness, but the dreams came nonetheless. In the first one, she was happily married to Sasuke Uchiha, but in the second one, she'd run away from him to be with Gaara Sabaku. She couldn't win and her head and heart were all over the place; Sakura woke groggily and found herself staring at the wall, but didn't bother to move. The pinkette desperately needed and _wanted_ to return home. But she was trapped, smelt bad from her time in a dingy cell, and couldn't access her chakra.

There was no way out, and that very fact brought tears to her eyes (not sobbing tears, but not silent either).

"Good morning, Little Sakura."

Sakura jerked her head suddenly, rolled away from the wall, and lifted her tired eyes to take in the form of the puppet master, Kankuro. Relaxing slightly, she scowled at the way he'd said her name; he just smirked at her. There was no trace of any apology on his face for that _comment_ he'd made outside the council chambers.

' _Arsehole.'_

Kankuro, just like his little brother, had a reputation throughout the ninja nations. Word had it that he could poison his opponent before they even spotted him. She wondered if that was true, or just an example of an embellished reputation. Just like the one that painted Gaara as some kind of demon. She grunted her response to Kankuro, sitting up shakily. Her first night in this cell had been more uncomfortable than spending an entire afternoon in Jiraiya's company when all he wanted to do was perv on women in the bath houses. She wiped at her face, remembering the silent tears.

Kankuro ignored them, knowing she would just glare at him for mentioning it. Or hit him again. Or hate him forever, as chicks were want to do in "delicate" situations. He _really_ didn't want to give her more reason to hate him. But she was ignoring his greeting, her eyes drifting to the floor now, as though he wasn't even there.

The council were intending to speak with Sakura after she'd rested, but soon thereafter found themselves swamped with meetings and paperwork – the Iwagakure dignitaries had arrived early, it seemed. So the old codgers were going to be too busy for another couple of days still. He'd heard this from Gaara, as he hadn't been there when they'd arrived. Already the nobles from Iwa were calling for the head of the leaf Kunoichi, despite the fact that it would be a premature act on their part. She'd only just got here after all.

A guard walked in, glanced at Kankuro, and then left Sakura's breakfast in her cell before leaving without saying a word. Sakura had ignored him as well. She didn't even look at the food he'd brought her. The silence in the room was palpable, but the puppet master had no intention of breaking it. He was down here because of Gaara. _Always_ it was because of Gaara. So much of what happened in Suna these days seemed to be because of the Kaze-heika. Sakura sniffled softly before breaking the silence, her eyes still on the ground.

"Why are you even here?"

"I'm sorry," he said, staring at her. "I was out of line yesterday."

Sakura glanced at him uncertainly, and then turned her head away – that smirk of his was gone, thankfully. "Yes, you were. But why are you apologising to me now?"

"I feel guilty," Kankuro said, shrugging his shoulders. "And I told Gaara what I'd said to you and he gave me one of his looks."

She looked up at him suddenly, perking up when the red head's name was mentioned; he had her full attention now. Kankuro noticed this but ignored it. She was clearly smitten, like all women who grace the younger man's company. Gaara's attitude would then drive the sensitive, uptight ones away and he'd be left with the ones who knew how to play dirty, or some who were so thick skinned you could ride them for hours and they wouldn't even chafe.

Kankuro chuckled softly at that.

"He gave you… a look?" Sakura asked, ignoring the puppet master's inexplicable mirth.

Kankuro nodded. "It was his 'apologise or I'll kill you' look."

"Not, _kill you_ kill you, right?"

"Make me wish he had maybe."

Sakura smiled at him, despite herself. "You are really, _very_ strange, Kankuro."

"Better than a crass jerk?"

"Okay, you're forgiven if you do something for me."

"Depends on what that is."

"Let me out to use the bathroom."

"I'll get a guard to escort you," Kankuro said, and indicated to the breakfast the silent one had brought her. "Eat."

Sakura gladly ate the food; bacon, eggs, toast and a glass of milk. She wondered why they weren't giving her stale bread and filthy water, but wasn't going to complain; the whole reason for her capture seemed to be to heal someone, and starving her would be counterproductive to this goal. Gaara said she needed to earn her release from this dingy prison, but she'd made a promise to herself that if anything they asked of her was remotely related to Konoha or this war, that they weren't going to get anything out of her. Kankuro watched her eat, but wasn't blatantly staring, and she wondered about him. He seemed nice enough. When that girl, Mia, had tried to make nice with her, Sakura had felt disturbed. She had thought it was just Gaara's effect on her that made her like speaking to him, but here was Kankuro, apologising for being a jerk and making her smile.

' _Maybe what I have is a Sabaku infatuation.'_

She certainly hoped not.

Sakura mused on her predicament, wondering if there was some way to take advantage of it. She'd heard Ibiki Morino often talk about prisoners who believed they were entitled to information because they weren't getting out of Konoha alive. This excuse always made him laugh of course, but the pinkette found it enlightening right now. There was no doubt in her mind that Suna wasn't just going to let her go, but if she could just use whatever they wanted her for leverage she might just get something out of all of this after all.

' _Before they_ _kill_ _me.'_

One problem at a time.

"Aren't you supposed to hand me over to your Kazekage, or council, or something?" She asked, pushing away the remnants of her meal without standing up.

"Later," he said, "when the old farts aren't knee deep in politics."

She smiled at that. "And you're down here to keep an eye on me?"

"I'm just making sure you're okay."

"I'm fine. I'll be great if you'd let me out of this cell."

He shook his head. "Nuh-uh, not going to happen."

"And Gaara?" Sakura asked, trying not to show how _much_ she wanted to see the younger Sabaku. "Is he going to check to see if I'm okay? He told me I'm here to heal someone – care to elaborate?"

"I can't do that Sakura."

She sighed. "And what of the dignitaries? Do you think they're going to want me dead?"

"Probably." Kankuro frowned at her. "I shouldn't be telling you that."

"Why not?" She asked. "Who am I going to tell?"

Sakura stood shakily, and then walked over to the door to her cell, gripping the bars fiercely. "Do you know what happened to the team I was with?"

Kankuro shook his head. "No. But Konoha should realise you're missing soon, if they don't already." He sighed. "Come on Sakura, you should rest. I'll send guard by soon to take you to the bathroom, I promise."

Kankuro needed to get away from the pinkette. She would ask him a question and he would answer. He wanted to tell her everything, to tell her why she was in Suna and what she needed to do to appease the council so they would let her go. Arō Sabaku had the final say on the fate of their prisoner, but if they wanted to, the council could easily overrule him. The puppet master couldn't wait until his father retired and Gaara took on the mantle. Those old farts were not going to find the red head as easy to go around, that was for sure.

He left Sakura to her thoughts, making a mental note not to tell _anyone_ just how much he had already told her.

…

The guards left in a huff.

Sakura had been a prisoner of Suna for almost three days now; with no idea what was going on and bored out of her skull, she was beginning to think that _this_ was part of their interrogation techniques. The guards had taken her to the bathroom as Kankuro promised they would, given her time to freshen up, and then marched her back into this cell. Every day, she was escorted to use the facilities – _today_ however, she'd gotten the drop on them, kicking one in the shin as he entered her cell and slamming the bathroom door in their faces. It was petty and stupid of her, but taking out her frustration on them, and not caring that someone like Gaara or even Kankuro would make her pay for it later, made her feel better. There was a sense of control in all of that, and Sakura Haruno hated losing control of her fate.

She watched the guards leave, sighing; her temperament wasn't simmering with age, like her friends had _hoped_. Subconsciously, she supposed however, that she had hoped that Gaara would sense what she'd done and come running down here. A slight constriction of the sand around her wrists was all she got to tell her to behave.

Yeah, Sakura could admit to herself that she wanted to see him. She hadn't seen Kankuro for two days either. After she had put the squeeze on him for information, she figured he'd been too wary that she might be able to do it again. He seemed unusually pliable when it came to giving information for such a renowned ninja. Perhaps he just didn't take her seriously. She wanted to find out what his deal was almost as much as she wanted Gaara to come back down to this cell, even if it was just to berate her for her mistreatment of the guards. She'd left them with no doubt as to the fact that she would no longer let them treat her like some kind of _pet_ , just here to be fed, bathed and patted on the head.

It was infuriating!

But the third morning on from her incarceration, it wasn't Gaara who came down to make sure she started taking care of herself. It was Kankuro. Again. He looked like he'd rather be anywhere else, but greeted her like she was a friend. Perhaps he really _was_ worried about opening his big mouth again.

"I thought you might like to take a bath," he said evenly. "Just because you're our captive doesn't mean you need to–"

"No thank you," she said haughtily. Really, what did it matter anymore? She was just going to be shoved back into this cell, to soak in the stench once more. "Go away."

"Can't, Little Sakura," he said, using that _damnable_ nickname he'd invented for her. Kankuro grabbed one of the nearby wooden chairs to sit on. "I've been ordered to give you anything you need."

She scoffed at that. The renowned puppet master had been reduced to entertaining a lowly captive.

"I find that hard to believe."

"It's true," he said. "I'm here under orders, and I'm not leaving until you agree to look after yourself."

"Fine, I agree, now go away."

There was no strength in her voice, but her expression told him that she wasn't willing to back down on this one. She had seemed so agreeable the other day, but her incarceration (along with nothing stimulating to occupy her mind), was wearing thin on her. He understood that, really. If it hadn't been for the duty rosters he'd had to personally see to over the last two days, Kankuro believed he'd have gone mad with boredom. The dignitaries were currently being apprised by the Kazekage and the council on the specifics of why Sunagakure had gone out of their way to kidnap the Gondaime's prized apprentice. It wasn't the kind of news one received every day. That was another reason Kankuro had been told to come down here. Today was the day the council would finally speak personally with their captive. They made it all sound so fancy, like they were such a big deal, but he often found respecting them to be impossible. They were just a lot of old farts to him. He always kept this to himself though, leaving it to Gaara to tell them what they _needed_ to hear, and not necessarily what they _wanted_.

"I can't do that, Little Sakura." He also couldn't help using that _nickname_. It was so cute.

Sakura groaned, clenching her fists. They wouldn't even tell her what she was doing here in the first place! So how was she expected to believe they weren't going to just execute her for the sake of it? They had gone to great lengths to head her off in the forest. The events that had led to her capture were all she thought of (for the most part) the last two days, she couldn't see _how_ they'd known where she would be. It was fishy, and she was determined to find out what they were hiding from her. Her friend, Ino Yamanaka, was a gossip queen, so Sakura had learnt a thing or two on how to get to other people's secrets. From trading information to offering incentives… Sakura mentally slapped herself. Why didn't she think about that earlier? She climbed to her feet and grabbed the metal of her bars as the Sabaku eyed her warily.

"I'll go to the bathroom if you tell me why you kidnapped me."

Kankuro groaned. "Like I told you the other day, I'm not authorised to tell you that."

"Then who is? Look, obviously you want _something_ from me, but you're not going to get it as long as you keep it secret from me." She licked her chapped lips. "Just go get someone who's allowed to tell me, _please_."

He groaned again. "And you'll look after yourself?"

"As long as my question is answered."

Kankuro eyed her wearily. "Okay, I'll talk to Gaara. But he's busy right now, so can you just let me take you to freshen up at least? I really _am_ just trying to help you."

"So you can butter me up," she mumbled.

Sakura was clenching and unclenching her fists as Kankuro unlocked the cell, wishing desperately that these sand bracelets weren't holding her chakra back. Even in the water of her drawn bath, they retained their shape and consistency, due to Gaara's chakra running through them. But at least they weren't uncomfortably tight on her wrists. With a deep sigh, the pinkette followed the puppet master, and then closed the door of the bathroom in his face once they'd arrived. There was no key hole, so she wasn't worried he was going to perv on her.

Sakura bathed, dressed in the provided grey and black top with matching three quarter pants, and stood in front of the vanity mirror, appalled at the sight before her. Her skin was the same, her pink hair still short and thick, but somewhere, in those emerald eyes, the fury of her captivity wasn't registering. The orbs of green just stared back at her like she was a stranger. She was stronger than this, and more hopeful than this, but somehow she wondered if deep down she'd actually _accepted_ her predicament. This scared her more than any torture that awaited her if she didn't agree to Gaara's terms ever could.

' _Naruto wouldn't give up.'_

Sakura held up her wrists to stare at the sand. It made her feel lonely and protected at the same time. She had seen firsthand just how much control Gaara had over it, so she knew that he would sense it immediately if something were to happen to her, probably worried she might try to escape, regardless of her debilitation. A part of her knew it was hopeless, though the rest of her mind contemplated the depressingly short list of ideas on how escape might be possible. She wasn't going anywhere; this much had been certain from the moment Gaara had arrived in time to turn the tide of the battle to capture her. She had never seen a battle shift so suddenly, and so seemingly easy.

She shivered. But as much as she feared what he could do to her, she _wanted_ to see him again. It pained her that he was ignoring her. She hated herself for feeling so drawn to him, but she knew nothing would ever happen between them, so she didn't fight her thoughts about him when she was alone. Sakura looked back at her reflection. Her musings on the Kaze-heika was all over her face. She wanted to believe it wasn't just that husky voice, and those gorgeous eyes (not to mention the contradictory calm exterior), that had her spellbound. He was so much like Sasuke. But then, the differences were just as obvious…

And just because she could think of any, didn't mean…

"Sakura, are you done?" Kankuro interrupted her thoughts and she tried unsuccessfully to push Gaara out of her mind.

"In a minute!" She called back, not looking away from the mirror.

She made him wait for a few minutes before opening the door. He escorted her back to her cell.

"I'll talk to Gaara," he promised. "Just be patient, okay?"

Sakura nodded and watched him leave, hoping he was a man of his word.

…

Sakura opened her eyes suddenly, realising that she wasn't alone – meditation was just one of the many ways she had of dealing with both her anger and her boredom – but not recognising her new visitor. About five minutes had passed since Kankuro left, and she was half expecting to see Gaara when she opened her eyes; it would be too soon for him to speak with her though, given Kankuro's claim that his brother was currently very busy. So no, it wasn't Gaara coming to see her now, but some brown haired girl; she was well groomed and dressed in stately clothes, in which she could easily be confused with a tomboy princess. There was no insignia on her simple but elegant kimono, but Sakura got the idea she wasn't from around Suna, or the land of wind.

The intruder ran her hand along the jail cell without touching the bars (as though not wanting to get the _filth_ on her skin), watching the way the pinkette's eyes narrowed at her as she appraised the younger girl. The girl was clearly a teenager (eighteen or nineteen); she glowered at Sakura, the expression on her face reminiscent of the arrogance and snotty, high society girls she had heard lived in Otogakure. But this was Sunagakure, so this girl, if she was indeed an ally of Suna rather than a resident, was more likely from somewhere like Iwagakure, or one of the smaller villages. Perhaps not even a ninja village.

There were Iwagakure dignitaries in the village right now.

Sakura stared back at the girl with equal intensity, not intimidated in the slightest. Even though the kimono she wore was both simple and elegant, it did not escape the pinkette's scrutiny that it was also very practical. Moreover, if she was nobility she wouldn't have considered lowering herself to visit the prison cells. The stench in this place was stronger or weaker depending on where one stood, as well as the direction of the draught coming through any number of high, barred windows. On top of that, the way this girl held herself as she strolled languidly along the length of the cell indicated she was carrying a concealed weapon.

If she were a ninja, she could easily compensate for the weight of any weapon strapped to her body, giving nothing away in her movements. So either she was thinking of attacking Sakura or… _no_ , the pinkette was certain this girl meant business. Sakura glanced at the girl's side, where the weapon was definitely hidden, before lifting her head to look directly into her soon-to-be-attacker's eyes again. She was confident that Sakura was weakened and at her mercy, and she wasn't surveying the room or surreptitiously looking the pinkette over to make sure.

No, this girl was no Kunoichi.

The brunette smirked at Sakura. "So you're the little leaf parasite my Okā-san told me all about."

"And who are you?" Sakura asked, though that accent gave her away – Iwagakure.

"None of your business," the girl spat.

"You're from Iwa, right? Shouldn't high society be more refined than you? Or are you just some low class maid playing dress up?"

Sakura couldn't help herself; there was something about this girl that made her hackles go up, regardless of the fact that she had come down here with a weapon. Outside of this cell block, she heard no sound from the direction of where the guards were posted. So either this girl was tougher than she looked, and had knocked them out (or had an accomplice who was listening to every word they said), or they were well bribed. It would seem, either way that the people of Suna and Iwa hated Konoha far more intolerably than the pinkette had realised.

The girl snarled at Sakura. "You should talk, _vermin_. I heard you're supposed to be some hot shot Kunoichi, but all I see before me is a weak, helpless idiot."

The pinkette kept her anger and hatred from her face as the brunette pulled a set of keys out of her pocket. She was unlocking the door! So she was here to kill her was she? This person Sakura had been brought here to heal mustn't be anyone in the hierarchy if this girl wanted to kill her before she'd been _convinced_ to do so. Or at least, it wasn't someone _she_ cared about.

"I know how to get rid of vermin," the girl said, revealing the kikuchi yari strapped to the outside of her left leg.

Sakura stood up quickly; fast enough to throw her _civilian_ opponent off balance. She didn't bother giving the girl any warning, knowing that no matter how this went down, the sand on her wrists were alerting Gaara to what was happening, right now. She jumped forward as the brunette held the yari out in front of her, grabbing the tang of the weapon before the girl could react and pulling her overly made up face into her clenched fist.

…

Kankuro exited the lower levels and walked slowly toward the Kazekage mansion, guessing that his brother was probably there. Every Sabaku sibling was over age and living on their own, even though Temari was engaged and Kankuro was having trouble deciding from a line of high society women. It sounded more fun than it actually was; apparently, they all had either a _great personality_ , or something to offer them that the rest of them didn't. He wasn't so shallow that he'd go solely on looks, but some of them were better looking than others, really. He'd joked once, in Temari's presence, about turning them into his very own harem, which didn't go over well with her. Apparently, it was offensive. But _she_ was the one who kept pushing the official date for her nuptials back, and a betting pool had been started as a result.

Kankuro had one thousand yen riding on the bet, in favour of her breaking the engagement off during the next three months. Gaara had bet it would take her at least six more months, considering she'd now been engaged for almost two years. Arō Sabaku, their father, was betting the groom-to-be was going to grow sick and tired of this and be the one to cancel everything. Their mother however, refused to be a part of it.

This was why, every chance he got, Kankuro gave Temari every reason to be angry with the male species. It increased his chances significantly. Luckily, Temari didn't know about the bet.

He made a mental note to tell Sakura all about it and get her opinion on this; the thought of seeing her again put a bounce in his step as he jumped up to an open window and let himself into his father's mansion this way. There was no need to make the Kazekage or the Kaze-heika come all the way to the door.

Kankuro could admit to himself that he was occasionally jealous of Gaara's title. It made him look so hot to the female population, not that the red head _needed_ that kind of help. But then he would remember the way the council often spoke to him, and the shit he had to deal with when it came to them, and then he just counted himself lucky that Gaara was the strongest offspring of the Kazekage. Arō prized Gaara also. In another life, the man might've been a harsh, unforgiving father, but every expectation he had of Gaara, the red head exceeded. If that didn't engender favouritism, nothing would.

"Kankuro," Arō said, having turned at his oldest son's arrival.

Gaara and Arō were in the upper level office where the Kazekage did his paperwork when in the privacy of his own home. Kankuro had inherited their father's brown hair and Arō's personality, at least when it came to the people he loved. He was irreverent behind closed doors, and both stiff and pretentious when it came to dealing with people outside their family. He wasn't the nicest person true, but Kankuro found his mood shifts entertaining to watch – as long as he himself wasn't the target of them. Arō had been popular from a young age (or so people liked to remind Kankuro), despite his attitude. In fact, Kankuro believed the old man had more in common with Gaara when interacting with others, personality wise. He was clearly where the red head had inherited his uncanny ability to piss people off.

Their mother was the most beautiful person any of them had ever met.

Karura Sabaku was probably at the hospital right now. She wasn't a medic, not really, but she was still a fine Kunoichi and often helped out at the medical core. Yashamaru, her brother, had taught her a few things though, being a part of the medical core himself. But Karura's strength, outside of her exceptional fighting skills, lay in making others feel better emotionally.

Kankuro glanced around to note the family portrait on his father's desk. They were all in it: Arō, Karura, Temari, Kankuro, Gaara, Yashamaru, Nakimi (his wife), and Mia. They were all smiling, except for Gaara, Arō, and Yashamaru. The biggest grin award always went to Kankuro.

"Did you come in through the window for a reason, Kankuro?" Gaara asked.

"No reason," Kankuro said. "Um, you should go see Sakura. She's getting intolerable and I promised her you'd tell her why she's here."

Gaara just stared at him.

"The council is ready for her now," Arō said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you sure you can convince her, Gaara?"

"I'll know once I try," the red head said, not seemingly caring right now. "The council wants to torture her."

"What, why?" Kankuro asked abruptly, earning himself a raised eyebrow from both men in front of him. "That won't do anything. She'd just…"

"No-one said they're going to get their way, Kankuro. Settle down."

"Right, sorry father."

"You seem smitten."

"She's a nice girl."

"She does seem to have some admirable qualities to her," Gaara said evenly, narrowing his eyes at his brother dangerously.

Kankuro could almost hear his brother telling him to get over whatever infatuation he was developing. It was all in the depth of that trademark icy stare. He knew Gaara had a fascination for Sakura as well, and had avoided her for the last two days for that reason. He didn't like to split his focus and had been focusing on dealing with the council. But now he needed to concentrate on the pinkette if they were going to get anywhere with her.

"Well, I'll be off," Arō said, looking between his sons, noting that Kankuro wasn't the only one who had taken to the pinkette. He was _really_ looking forward to meeting the girl that had them both riled up like this. It was at least fascinating if nothing else.

"Fetch her ladyship, will you?" He asked Gaara cheekily, before using Shunshin to leave.

"That guy," Kankuro said, annoyed.

Gaara moved his head slightly, feeling the strange sensation in his sand he did every time Sakura over exerted herself. Without saying goodbye to Kankuro, he copied his father by using Shunshin to get out of the mansion, and headed to the prison. The pinkette looked fine, except for a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks. Gaara's eyes travelled up and down her body quickly before resting on the brunette girl sprawled out on the dingy floor. She was dressed in high society clothes, a weapon in one hand and prison keys in the other. It was obvious what had happened here. He recognised the girl as an Iwagakure dignitary; she was oblivious to the ways of Gaara's sand around Sakura's wrists.

Just another clueless civilian.

"This is why I wanted you guarded," Gaara said simply.

Sakura scoffed. "And a mighty fine idea it was."

He didn't react to her sarcasm other than to pull on her. "The council wishes to speak with you."

"What of the Iwa girl?"

"She will be dealt with later."

"Gaara!" Sakura tried to twist out of his grip.

He wouldn't let her go, but stopped pulling on her anyway. "What is it?"

"Did Kankuro find you?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"And what?"

She groaned. "I want to know why you kidnapped me, and I want to know _now_."

She realised she had just sounded like some spoilt four-year old, but she was sick and tired of playing the guessing game, the days spent in a stinking cell, and this _stupid_ civilian who had accosted her, thinking she was weak just because she had been imprisoned. Was being able to know why she was even here such a bad thing, really?

Gaara stared at her, thinking. He supposed it couldn't hurt, and she probably should know before being brought before the council. He inhaled deeply, his nostrils filling with her faint smell of strawberries; under the obvious hygiene products she was using during her bathroom breaks, he could smell _her_. It was a cliché, but it was true. Kankuro had done his job and made sure she was taking care of herself. The red head wanted her as comfortable as she could get in such an abysmal cell, but now realised this had just frustrated her to no end. They were natural enemies, so of course she questioned his motives. He sighed, lifting her arm and realising he'd actually taken her hand instead of her elbow.

Sakura had turned a distinct shade of red at his attention, and his hand clasping hers, but didn't back down. He reaffirmed his hold on her elbow instead, but she still felt flushed at his touch.

"Well?" She asked.

Gaara nodded to her, relenting. He supposed it _was_ time she knew.

…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please kudo/subscribe/comment. Lotsa love! :)


	5. The Uninvited Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ninja nations are at war, but Sakura Haruno finds herself in a unique position to end hostilities when Gaara Sabaku takes her prisoner. But no-one says no to him and lives and he wants more from her than she's willing to give. GaaSaku.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Newly edited and uploaded. Enjoy! :)
> 
> For reference:  
> Ilac-Vesical Disease: while the arteries are real, the disease is of my own making. It's not very imaginative, but whatever.

…

Chapter 4: The Uninvited Guest.  
…

 

The feeling that he was floating was not a memory. He hadn't taken flight, nor had he been thrown through the air, not _really_. He couldn't place the source of this feeling, with an unseen bristle tickling his underside and the smell of sand and grass assaulting his senses. But he wasn't out in the forest anymore, he was _sure_ of it. Was this just another dream?

 

This sensation of helplessness didn’t feel like a dream – he’d been dreaming about that ambush since it happened, his mind moving in and out of the events at will like one would fast forward or rewind through a movie. He felt removed from it, above it, outside of it; and yet guilty at the less than favourable outcome.

 

Her face haunted his thoughts, and instead of a dream or memory, Neji Hyuuga was trapped in a nightmare; the way her eyes had widened, worried what was happening to _him_ , the way the sand had wrapped around her body, to take her away. She would live, it seemed, even if only for a short time; the pink haired medic was more worried about Neji's well-being, and the screams from the ANBU – the latter was more disturbing to the Hyuuga. Who knew that ANBU could scream like _that_?

 

It was just further proof that Gaara Sabaku was a force to be reckoned with.

 

He heard Sakura's voice calling for him, trying to rouse him, and then the voice lowered a few octaves. It was someone else now. How strange that there were several people around him finally, and in his half dreamlike state, they all sounded the same as they were strained and concerned.

 

"Over here!"

 

"Oh Kami. Medic! We need a medic!"

 

"How is he?"

 

"He's alive, for now. How are the ANBU?"

 

"I don't know."

 

"Neji? Neji, can you hear me? Please wake up… please? Please, you have to be okay. I love you…"

 

The new sound of a feminine pierced through the fog; familiar and concerned, it stirred him from his waking dreams. The seconds passed in a blur and Neji became aware of his laboured breathing, then the warm fingers on his skin, and finally the uncomfortable angle he now rested in, on the forest floor. Time rushed forward, tormenting him with confusion and quite suddenly, the scenery had changed. So, he _had_ just been dreaming? It had felt so real, so maybe it was a combination of memory and dreaming?

 

At the change in his surroundings, his eyes fluttered opened and Neji realised someone was holding his hand, but he had no strength to squeeze hers in reassurance. That familiar voice now sang to him; she was sitting on a chair next to his bed. He felt so warm all of a sudden, and realised it was both her voice and her presence that had brought him out of his dream. It was comforting to know, that after all these years, she still did that to him.

 

He shifted in his bed slightly, rolling his head over to see her smiling at him. Tenten was real after all, and Neji allowed himself a small smile. His fiancé gripped his hand even tighter, her worried expression shifting as she now looked very relieved that he was finally awake. But she kept quiet as the older blonde standing behind her looked more terrified than he'd ever seen her.

 

"Where's Sakura, Neji? What happened out there? Who the hell did this to you?" The Hokage's voice was strained, and she looked like she hadn't slept in days; who knew what was scarier – her anger or her obvious lack of concern for her own well-being?

 

Neji groaned, trying to sit up.

 

"Wait," Tenten said, putting a hand on him and pushing him back down. "You need to save your strength."

 

"Better do what she says Neji, lest she threaten you with celibacy for the foreseeable future."

 

Neji looked around his room at the sound of the cheeky voice as Tenten blushed. There was one other person in the room, and he was hovering at the edge of his bed, and beaming slightly at him.

 

"Kakashi-sensei..." Neji trailed off.

 

The copy ninja seemed to be ecstatic to see him, in his own aloof way. "It's good to see we got to you in time."

 

"You were there, also?"

 

He nodded. "And as to the Hokage's question?"

 

"We were ambushed," Neji said. The faces staring intently at him were unsurprised. "It was two squads from the sand – the first was a tracking team, and the second came in a few minutes later, a mix of special Jounin and normal Jounin."

 

He licked his dry lips, coughing slightly as he lowered his eyes from the Hokage's inquisitive stare. Tenten moved away to fetch him a glass of water, and once she'd returned, he drank it quickly and thanked her, clearing his throat.

 

"That's all?" Kakashi asked.

 

"No. The second squad was led by the sand siblings, Temari and Kankuro." Their eyes widened, but he ignored this, wanting only to quickly finish telling his story. "The Demon of the Sand arrived shortly after them and turned the tide of the battle in their favour in a matter of seconds. Once Gaara Sabaku had knocked out our ANBU and myself, he took Sakura away, using that ungodly sand of his. It's the last thing I saw before I passed out."

 

Neji closed his eyes in a vain attempt to hide his shame. There was nothing he could he say or do to make up for his failure. One of his closest friends outside the original Team Gai was now in the hands of the enemy and there hadn’t been a damn thing he could do to stop it from happening. If Sakura died, if she was badly hurt, or if they never saw her again, that would be _his_ fault.

 

_‘Some bodyguard I am.’_

Tenten squeezed his hand again and Neji opened his eyes, staring at their entwined hands.

 

But, he knew everyone in this room well enough to know that they didn’t blame him… even if he would never not blame himself. They would see through his seemingly calm façade and into the guilt underneath. Sure, Gaara was legendary, having never lost a battle, but Neji was a _Hyuuga_ for Kami's sake! It had to count for _something_!

 

"It's not your fault Neji," Tsunade said. "You're lucky to be alive. If I remember correctly, that young man is rumoured to be stronger than his father, perhaps even me or Jiraiya. He's an anomaly, and you have nothing to be ashamed of."

 

Despite having witnessed Gaara’s power, Neji couldn’t help but silently disagree that he was as strong as the Sannin. Tenten’s expression mirrored his own, internal scepticism.

 

"I'm surprised he left you and the other ANBU alive," Kakashi said thoughtfully, ignoring the glare from Tenten. "He's known for his ruthlessness, not mercy."

 

"What does it matter?" Tenten said. "Neji is back and he will recover."

 

And they needed solid intelligence on Sakura. There was little time to sit and dwell on the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of her capture. They had already lost ground to this attack. But Neji’s mind continued to circle on the ‘why’, regardless.

 

"Sakura seemed to be the whole reason for the attack," Neji said, and the corner of Tsunade's mouth twitched in anger. He sighed. "How long were we missing for?"

 

"A few days," Tenten said.

 

"The Senkage sent a message to Konoha shortly after you were due to arrive in Oto," Kakashi finished up for her. "It's lucky he did that when he did. I'm not sure you'd have survived another day out there."

 

Neji nodded. "Then I am in his debt. What of the ANBU who were also with me?"

 

"They're in the next room," Tenten said softly. "Their injuries were a little more severe and they're still on life support, but the medics are hoping they'll be off it in another day or two."

 

He nodded again, not sure how to respond this time. The silence that followed was uncomfortable, and he found himself glancing between his fingers (entwined with Tenten’s again) and the wall two feet from Lady Tsunade’s grim face, hoping they would all get the hint and leave him with his fiancé. Eventually feeling the tension, the Hokage decided it was time to leave the Hyuuga to rest. She made to leave, motioning her hand toward Kakashi; the copy ninja however, was the first to sense the incoming, orange-clad annoyance, and didn’t move.

 

"Neji!" An irate voice burst through the calm before the Hokage could speak however, and a moment later, Naruto Uzumaki barged into his hospital room, followed closely by Neji's cousin.

 

Hinata looked apologetic and bowed slightly. "Sorry, we were worried."

 

"It's okay Hinata," Tenten said.

 

"Neji, what happened?" Naruto shouted. "Where's Sakura? Who attacked you? How did you get away? Are you..."

 

"Naruto, shut the hell up." Tsunade snapped at him. "Come with me, and I'll fill you in. Kakashi?"

 

The copy ninja nodded his head and followed the Hokage, Naruto, and Hinata out of the room. Once they were gone, Tenten threw her arms around her fiancé.

 

"I don't know what I'd do without you," she said. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

  

…

  

Gaara Sabaku was not normally so tolerant. He'd noticed the pinkette immediately upon arriving on the battle scene, and sent his sand straight for her, but an attractive woman did not automatically equal a soft spot for him. This was baffling to him. Yes, she was attractive; her body was pleasing to look at and up close, she smelled like strawberries and vanilla. But it still didn’t excuse his weakness around her – it was safe to say he was captivated. He had never let a woman manipulate him before (other than his mother, which was a completely different story). A lesser woman would not compel him so easily; a lesser woman might have angered him with her pouting and her demand to know what was going on.

 

What was it about her that made him hesitate? What was so special about Sakura Haruno?

 

It was outside his usual modus operandi with the enemy, regardless of their physical appearance – it was his right to say and do as he pleased, taking what he pleased, and not answering to enemy Kunoichi, no matter how attractive they were. After all, he wasn't named the Kaze-heika for nothing. This title demanded respect. He was going to be Kazekage someday after all. So, who was she to treat him like an equal?

 

But here she was, Sakura Haruno, demanding that equal respect and getting away with it. The protégé of the legendary slug Sannin was demanding answers from the Kaze-heika and by Kami, he would give it to her. This both confused him and pissed him off, even though he understood that keeping this particular piece of information from her now would do no good. They were due in the council room in a few minutes, and she would find out anyway. He needed, no, _wanted_ her to trust him. It was imperative. She had to want to help. The moment someone tried to force her, she would retreat into her Kunoichi training and choose torture and death over healing an enemy. He had seen this outcome so many times over the years, with other enemy ninja; this was not the time to force the situation.

 

But how was he to word this in a manner that would elicit her assistance?

 

"You cannot see this as you would if you just had only one life in your hands," he said evenly, and her eyes widened slightly. "It is not just for Suna, or Iwa. You may not believe it when I tell you, but this could affect all the nations."

 

"It's a noble or something," Sakura said, "right?"

 

He shook his head. "Do you know about Ilac-Vesical Disease?"

 

Sakura frowned. "No, but Ilac and Vesical as separate things _are_ familiar. Ilac Arteries lead into the pelvis from the abdominal aorta and Vesical is a reference to cavities in the bladder."

 

She waited impatiently for him to elaborate, and after a moment's hesitation, he complied.

 

"It's a rare disease that hasn't been seen in the land of wind for decades. It's almost always fatal, but has only affected peasants in the capital city."

 

"Until now?"

 

"Until now."

 

"Who is it, Gaara?"

 

Gaara frowned at her impertinence. "My father."

 

Somehow, she wasn't surprised. He'd never bend over backwards to kidnap the prized student of Lady Tsunade just to heal some insignificant person who meant nothing to him. His father, though? The Sunagakure council would have jumped on the problem immediately, consulting not only their own medics, but medics from their allies as well. The Standard Operating Procedure in this situation would have been civilian healers (even knowing how in vain that would be), and then finally, capturing and coercing enemy medics. Given her current predicament, Sakura came to the logical conclusion that they had tried all the other avenues already, and had hit a dead end. Her mentor was an obvious choice for a last resort, and she could think of another handful of medics up to the challenge.

 

_‘Including me.’_

Unfortunately, Sakura had never heard of Ilac-Vesical Disease, and prior knowledge of a disease was pivotal in combating it.

 

She bit her lip, thoughtfully. Gaara's vague description of the disease wasn't helping her figure out what it did either, though it obviously had something to do with the arteries in the pelvis area. She needed more information if she was going to decide between trying to help or trying to escape. She scoffed inwardly. More like take a sharp object to her own arteries to avoid Sunagakure from using her as a political chess piece.

 

_‘Depressing thought’._

But it couldn’t be helped; she was making it up as she went, and there was something else nagging at her.

 

"How would healing Arō Sabaku affect all nations? I get that he's the Kazekage and all that, but if he dies, you'd…"

 

He tightened his grip on her elbow; the sand around her wrists stung her and she forced herself not to cry out as this cut her off mid-sentence. Gaara pushed her against the wall, angrily. He looked livid, like a dangerous animal that was about to tear her to pieces. Where was the calm, uninterested man whose reputation for apathy was notorious? His eyes were intense on hers, and as he spoke, she felt a shiver go up her spine.

 

"You will _not_ disrespect the Kazekage, and you _will_ behave yourself, or there will be severe consequences. Is that clear?"

 

Sakura stopped struggling, her body pressed into the wall by Gaara; he was using his own body to keep her firmly planted to the spot. She could feel the rigid contours of his lean, toned form as her heart pounded violently in her ears. Where the _hell_ was the marching band causing the tremor in her body?

 

"Answer me," he growled, and she nodded her head, not trusting her voice. She just wanted him to get off of her.

 

He released her but she didn't move, not meeting his eyes as he stared at her thoughtfully. Sakura was saved from having to fill the uncomfortable silence when a Jounin dressed as a common guard came into the cell block and addressed his Kaze-heika.

 

"The council wishes to remind you they have been waiting for you and require the presence of the Konohagakure Kunoichi in the council room."

 

The guard stopped in his bow, finally noticing the unconscious brunette Iwagakure girl lying on the floor. His curious eyes settled on Gaara, who stared back blankly.

 

"She attacked the prisoner," the redhead said evenly. "I can only imagine she somehow overpowered the _sleeping_ guards, or else I would believe someone let her in, against the rules."

 

The guard stiffened at the Kaze-heika's sarcastic, underlying warning. "I… it won't happen again, Lord Gaara."

 

"See that it doesn't."

 

Gaara took a firm hold of Sakura and teleported them both out of the prison.

 

…

 

Glad to be out of that dingy cell, Sakura sighed in relief as she and Gaara arrived in the waiting room before the council room. He turned her to face him, ignoring the startled yelp from her as he handled her roughly, and looked into those green eyes of hers.

 

"Do not show weakness," he said evenly. "If you are weak, they will entertain the idea of torturing you, believing that you will give in quickly. They want this matter over and done with and will not hesitate in whatever means necessary to break you."

 

' _Why is he telling me this?'_

 

"Why are you telling me this?"

 

Shouldn't he be more worried for his father than some enemy Kunoichi?

 

"There are many paths to take to any single destination," he said idly, remembering his uncle Yashamaru telling him this once. "The fastest route might be best for my father, but it isn't for _you_."

 

Before she could question him further, Gaara opened the door to the council room and steered her toward the waiting members of twelve and his father. Her eyes raked over the meticulous Sunagakure architecture and took in the small additions that barely passed as decorations adorning the walls high windows and adjoining rooms visible through open doors. She let her gaze drift over the council members: the twelve members of the Sunagakure council sat on either side of the long rectangular table, while Arō Sabaku sat comfortably at the head of said table, watching her with a mixture of curiosity and aloofness. He looked like Kankuro, but Sakura had heard Gaara had inherited his abrupt manner from the man.

 

' _Funny, he doesn't look sick, decrepit, or ill-mannered in anyway.'_

 

She had gotten the impression from Gaara that this illness was serious.

 

Arō noticed the way she was looking at him, guessing his youngest son had told her what was going on, but when her eyes flitted over the council before resting on Gaara as the redhead brought her to a stop without releasing his hold on her, he was struck with a strange thought.

 

' _Why is Gaara still standing there?'_

 

He wasn't some legal defendant, or concerned family member given a reprieve and allowed to stand by their loved one, but he remained next to the leaf Kunoichi, even though he wasn't supposed to; his grip on her was something fierce. Interesting. This seemed to confirm his earlier suspicion that Gaara had taken to her; he just hoped that he, like Kankuro, understood that they couldn't have her. She was the enemy, despite her obvious _attractive_ qualities. Sometimes his sons did and said things that made Arō wonder if they ever thought things through – romantically, they did seem to be a bit clueless. Funnily enough, Temari, even with her back and forth in her engagement, showed more common sense than those two put together.

 

Sakura blushed under Arō Sabaku's gaze inexplicably, at least able to stop herself from squirming. She attempted to take the pressure off of herself and glanced around as the council stared silently at her.

 

The only other people in the room were expressionless guards and faceless ANBU. A moment later, one of the side doors opened to reveal a blonde Kunoichi; she strode into the room, bowed to the council and her father, and then moved over to Gaara purposefully. Temari gave him a long-suffering sigh and he did as was expected, letting go of Sakura and taking a step away.

 

The pinkette felt suddenly exposed, as though naked in front of these strangers. As soon as Gaara was a few steps away from Sakura, the silence was broken by a strange looking Councillor who introduced himself as Homeru.

 

"There is no need to be so nervous, Kunoichi," he said. "We aren't here to eat you alive. This is merely an informal greeting of sorts. Has the Kaze-heika apprised you as to your situation?"

 

"Yes," she said calmly, hiding her nervousness in her voice at least. Gaara had told her not to show weakness, and she forced herself to do just that.

 

Councillor Aruma spoke next. "As an enemy ninja, you are the responsibility of the Shinobi who captured you, in this case, Gaara Sabaku. But you answer directly to the council and Kazekage, do you understand?"

 

Sakura nodded silently.

 

"Since you are already aware of the particulars behind your capture, and the condition of our Kazekage–" Aruma glanced at Gaara, who nodded in response. "–we will keep this meeting brief, and I will be as succinct as possible. Tending to and healing our Kazekage is our only concern with you, and your compliance in this matter is non-negotiable. If you do anything in an attempt to escape, harm anyone within the walls of Sunagakure or in any way hinder the duties of those assigned to you, you will be punished, severely. Do you understand me?"

 

Again, Sakura nodded.

 

"Speak up." One of the members sitting closer to Arō barked at her.

 

"I understand," she said clearly, frowning at him angrily.

 

She didn't break eye contact with the man, and eventually, he looked away. They needed her alive, at least for now, so she decided to push and pull as needed. If Gaara was right, and they were looking to end this quickly, then she needed to show strength. She needed to meet them head-on. But Sakura could only hold off healing the Kazekage for so long. She glanced at Gaara, wondering again, why he would want to drag this out when it was his father's life on the line. It made no sense.

 

"Very well, Kunoichi." Aruma continued talking as though the pinkette wasn’t having an internal debate that clearly showed on her face. "Tomorrow morning, you will be escorted to the medical labs and…"

 

"And if I refuse?" Sakura asked venomously.

 

The councillor fixed her with a steady glare. “It would not be advisable to fight us on this.”

 

Did they really just expect her to roll over and perform tricks for their amusement? Sure, she didn't want to be tortured, but she wouldn't give in to them this easily. Sakura had already decided she would play along to some extent – in the academy, all Konohagakure students were taught that blatantly refusing to help an enemy while behind enemy lines was a one-way ticket to torture and execution. If robbing them of their prize was out of the question, her next step was to learn as much as possible and figure out a way to get the information to the leaf, even if it was the last thing she ever did.

 

Not that she knew right now, how _that_ would be possible. She could never have predicted that the first time she was ever _successfully_ kidnapped sand bracelets attached to her wrists would alert her captor to any and all undue exertion on her part. But she would survive for as long as possible, at least in false hope that she could find a way to escape.

 

"You don't need us to spell out what would happen if you don’t co-operate, Kunoichi," the nameless councillor from before spat at her. He didn't seem to think her worthy of knowing his name, like the others who had thus far spoken to her.

 

" _Sakura_ ," Gaara said through clenched teeth. "Her name is Sakura."

 

Temari grabbed his shoulder warningly, though pleasantly surprised that he didn't brush her off. " _Gaara_ …"

 

The council members had heard him, and several stared incredulously at him; they quickly looked away however, as he glared right back.

 

"A guard will escort you back underground and Lord Gaara will be with you shortly," Councillor Kokome said kindly, not realising she was being patronising to someone as stubborn and easily angered as Sakura.

 

But the pinkette let it slide, noting the intense look on Gaara's face before she was manhandled and escorted out.

 

Gaara stood his ground, knowing what it was the council wanted to talk to him about. He didn't have to wait long before Sakyou grunted at him (forever the propriety driven old fool).

 

"You are taking a liking to your captive, young Kaze-heika. Do not forget your position."

 

"I remember it well," Gaara said evenly.

 

His sudden calm demeanour did not go unnoticed. He disliked being told what to do, no matter _who_ it was, and any hint otherwise bothered them immensely. Their confusion and irritation

 

"You will explain yourself."

 

_Now_ , Gaara's demeanour shifted. He growled slightly. "I will as soon as the Iwa dignitaries explain why one of their own snuck into the prison levels and attempted to kill Sakura Haruno."

 

Arō glanced to his left, toward one of the open doors, but his expression was calmer than Gaara had expected. Didn't the dignitaries _know_ why the pinkette had been brought to Sunagakure? They should have been told this morning. His father had told him so. So… they knew they were attacking the last hope for Arō's life. The old man didn't seem as upset over this as Gaara had anticipated. Or perhaps he was hiding his shock, thinking that it was inevitable? That sounded stupid. They were allies, why would they want the Kazekage dead?

 

Kokome glanced at Arō before addressing Gaara. "We will deal with them. Your focus now should be convincing Haruno to heal our Kazekage, and not getting involved with her outside of the scope of this mission. Understood?"

 

Gaara nodded, feeling calmer now, knowing that Kokome at least, meant no disrespect to him. "I will tend to her now."

 

A sudden shift of movement in the room caught his attention before he could Shunshin out and Gaara noted a figure, previously hidden in the shadow of the western wall move languidly into dim light. He wasn't smiling, but the redhead saw the mirth on his face nonetheless.

 

"You'd better hurry," he said insolently.

 

The spy that had stepped out of the shadows was normally someone Gaara got along with, to a certain degree. But his tone annoyed the redhead and he growled audibly. Clearly, he was taking the council's side on this. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have skulked around in the shadows until after the leaf Kunoichi had left, and said something before the council had dismissed Gaara from them. The Kaze-heika knew him _too_ well.

 

It was childish.

 

Gaara didn't hate the man, but sometimes he wanted to pummel him. He thought him above skulking around in the council chambers like this. Captain Yura was a squad leader turned ANBU and now it would seem, turned spy for the council. What else had the man been doing as of late?

 

Clearly, he'd just returned from Konoha.

 

Gaara gave him one of his infamous death glares and shunshined out without snapping at him like he wanted to. He left the area even angrier than he was when he'd entered, but for some reason, he hadn't felt like shouting at Yura, let alone the council. He decided instead of going straight to Sakura, that he would vent his rage through more constructive means and headed to his favourite training ground. He didn't want to snap _her_ neck when it was the council that deserved it.

 

…

 

It was the Senkage who had suggested the union of noble houses in both Konoha and Otogakure. This would bring more stability and engender a closer working relationship between the high societies of their two villages. There were two families in both villages to be united and it fell to Tsunade to decide the ones in Konohagakure. Although she understood the logic behind this joining and welcomed it wholeheartedly, it was still about her telling a young woman from the Kazukumi family and a young man from the Amituken household that they were expected to marry complete strangers from Otogakure within the year.

 

They weren't ninja, but even though arranged marriages weren't unheard of in the civilian families, it still left Tsunade feeling both guilty and frustrated. She was a _ninja_ , and shouldn't have to do this; it was the civilian council that the Senkage should've approached, but they were happy to delegate this to her, the nitwits.

 

The last arranged marriage Tsunade had handled had been a cover; Naruto and Hinata were in love and had come to her to help convince her father and the Hyuuga elders to accept it, which ultimately ended up as them pretending it was arranged, to save face. Politics was a messy, uncaring beast when angered, so they had gotten lucky.

 

So, this was how Tsunade Senju had currently found herself tapping her foot angrily and staring at the summons she was in the middle of writing; Sami Kazukumi… Hauen Amituken… she felt so sorry for them. How was she supposed to word this and not come over as overbearing in this matter when they had no choice in the matter? If they were marrying each other it would be decidedly easier, coming from the same village, and times of war was not a good time to be separated from loved ones. But they weren't.

 

It was potential for disaster, with living arrangements once it was over. Who would be shafted out of their village, who would have the upper hand in future negotiations?

 

Tsunade growled.

 

"Enter!" She snapped, before Aoba had a chance to knock on her door. "Where are Kotetsu and Izumo?" She asked, after the sunglass wearing gossipmonger opened her door.

 

Her aides were driving her up the wall.

 

"Both off sick with the flu," Aoba said.

 

That didn't require time off. "They should've just gone to the hospital and had a medic check them over."

 

"It's a rather nasty flu that’s going around Lady Hokage," Aoba said. "It's already affected a third of the staff in this building alone…" He drifted off, wondering how she didn't know this.

 

Tsunade checked under the mess of papers on her desk and found the appropriate memo. She really needed to pay attention to this, but Shizune was off on a mission right now and she hated organising things in her absence. She had enough on her plate just being Hokage, for Kami sake!

 

"Okay, you're my designated paper organiser. But first," she said, pointing at the door, "fetch me another bottle of Sake, would you?"

 

Aoba wasn't as used to this strange side of her as Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki, so he wasn't sure the lady was serious. Ever since news had come that Sakura Haruno had been captured by the Demon of the Sand, she was getting more and more difficult to read. She spent last night screaming at the council and in fruitless meetings with returned spies from the border to the land of wind with no hope of infiltrating Suna to extract her favourite student who was more like a daughter to her. The council understood her position, but they would not authorise a mission into Sunagakure on the vague and baseless information the spies had brought. They would risk no more lives.

 

It was… uncharacteristically thoughtful of them.

 

"Shoo!" Tsunade snarled at Aoba, and he hastily left her office.

 

Of course, she was worried about Sakura, and the arranged marriage she didn't want any part of wasn't helping.

 

She plopped into her chair and stared at her door, waiting for that delicious Sake elixir, as she'd run out of her emergency supply and Shizune wasn't here to stop her this time. But ten minutes later, when she bade Aoba to re-enter, he looked decidedly empty handed.

 

"I'm sorry milady," he said, "but the Senkage has just arrived in the village earlier than anticipated, and he's requesting an audience with you."

 

"Send in Naruto, Kakashi, and Ino first, would you? Then fetch the Senkage and his entourage… and Aoba? Don't come back without my bottle of Sake next time."

 

Tsunade could sense Sakura's ex-Sensei, and two best friends in the hallway, approaching her office, and thought that they might as well be a part of this _reunion_ as well. It would put all the people who cared most about Sakura in the same room as the discussion over what to do now was due to take place, now that her other options had been shot down by the council.

 

Aoba nodded and darted back out into the hallway before the three ninja in question were ushered in. Ino Yamanaka was however, the only one not looking remotely composed or determined. Kakashi was his usual aloof self, while Naruto had surprisingly calmed down since being apprised of the situation; there was only fierce resolve on that face as he approached Tsunade's desk.

 

"What are you going to do, grandma?"

 

"I'm going to wait for the last of my _guests_ to arrive before answering that question," she said evenly.

 

"What are you talking about?"

 

Tsunade stood as Aoba re-entered the room a few minutes later (only to leave almost immediately to search for Sake), two Shinobi trailing behind him – one happy to be here, the other well… it was probably best that Tsunade couldn't read that deadpan expression of his.

 

The Senkage entered first, addressing the Hokage in a nonchalant, yet friendly tone. "Lady Tsunade."

 

She didn’t bother to hide the roll of her eyes.

 

Behind him, the second ninja stood quietly, looking torn between wishing he was somewhere else and uncaring that he was here in the first place.

 

All eyes turned to watch them enter, and Naruto was the last to realise they had company – he scowled heavily at the man who had followed the Senkage into the Hokage's office. _He_ was uninvited, and the blond scowled uncharacteristically, unsurprised at his indifference to the mixed reactions he was getting. When no-one said anything, Naruto clenched his fists, his voice coming out gruff and suspicious as he eyed off his former friend.

 

"What do you think _you're_ doing here, _Sasuke_?"

 

…

XXX

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please kudo/subscribe/comment. Lotsa love! :)


	6. Revelations and Declarations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ninja nations are at war, but Sakura Haruno finds herself in a unique position to end hostilities when Gaara Sabaku takes her prisoner. But no-one says no to him and lives and he wants more from her than she's willing to give. GaaSaku.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Newly edited and uploaded. Enjoy! :)
> 
> There is medical jargon in this chapter - sorry if it's confusing.  
> (Please reference the beginning author notes of previous chapters if any terms confuse you.)

...

Chapter 5: Revelations and Declarations.

...

 

Naruto Uzumaki couldn't stop staring at him; no, he was _glaring_. But he'd been ordered to escort him to his apartment and when he was done there, he was going to head back to the Hokage tower and give that baa-chan a piece of his mind! After the meeting with Tsunade and the Senkage, the blond had started to calm down, until he was ordered to become the personal escort to Sasuke _Uchiha_. Kakashi was allowed to head over to the ANBU to hand pick the members that would be going with them, and Ino was gathering whatever supplies she was able, while choosing the field medics that would accompany them when they headed out in the morning.

 

_'But me?'_

 

He was stuck babysitting!

 

"Stop glaring at me, you dobe."

 

"Make me."

 

"Do you really want me to kick your ass, _again_?"

 

"You didn't kick my ass, _baka_. You _cheated_!"

 

"Using my Sharingan to fight is not cheating."

 

"Humph, like hell it's not. I don't have a kekkei genkai like you do, you inbred teme."

 

Sasuke sighed. It was the same old argument: who was better, who deserved the attention, or who Sakura would choose in a life or death situations best friend versus boyfriend. He was tired of it. Not that he was officially _with_ Sakura anymore. He'd made that choice alone. The nature of his mission in Otogakure was hazardous and distracting enough. But he couldn't make Sakura understand that and not explain the mission, so he'd settled for driving her away. Hearing that she'd been kidnapped on her way to see him had hit him harder than he'd thought possible, which was why he was here.

 

As for the Senkage, he'd deigned to show his face in Konoha only for the sake of their common, inter-country, interests. That man was infamous for putting the mission first, but had relented to this trip because of Sasuke - he was distracted and therefore nothing would get done until they made sure Sakura was safe. The Uchiha wanted to get Sakura back from the enemy, and be here when she came home, but he'd had to compromise and didn't have much time.

 

Knowing all of this only made Naruto more and more angrier.

 

"You were a fool to let her go," the blond snarled, coming to a stop as they approached Sasuke's apartment.

 

He couldn't get the image of a depressed Sakura out of his head. She'd been so down, the dejection more obvious at his wedding than ever before. So, he didn't want to forgive Sasuke for that, even if he did put aside his _precious_ mission to come help get her home. All of this was Sasuke's fault; Naruto felt guilty for letting it get so out of hand, but he was happier just laying it on his friend, for now. Hinata had her hands full trying to convince him to give himself a break, so there was plenty of room for being angry at the Uchiha.

 

The apartments in this area were all owned by Shinobi and Sasuke was no different: you might call it the upper-class side of ninja suburbia. No expense was spared in his move he _was_ an Uchiha after all. Naruto had spent the last few years accusing him of being a hypocrite one minute bad mouthing his own clan behind his father's back, and the next accepting the old man's money to get a decent apartment. Sasuke had left the Uchiha compound to escape the rigorous rules, and so that one day, he'd have the right to choose his own bride. It was an important step in his future plans with Sakura. Fugaku did _not_ approve of her. Itachi on the other hand, who was the clan heir, had opted not to start the next Shinobi war over it.

 

They couldn't _both_ get away.

 

"I know."

 

Naruto growled, fighting his desire to punch his lights out. He deserved it, but the teme wasn't worth it either.

 

"I know I'm an idiot." Sasuke reiterated his guilt, softly.

 

"Stop making it difficult to hate you!" Naruto snarled. "If you really loved her you wouldn't have left her, you wouldn't have broken it off, and she wouldn't be...“"

 

"I _know_ ," Sasuke snapped back. "Do you really think I wanted this to happen?"

 

"I think all you cared about was Uchiha _pride_."

 

Sasuke shook his head. "I'm not my father."

 

That shut Naruto up and he fell silent, his eyes drifting up and toward the visible roof of Sasuke's apartment block. Sasuke didn't spend as much time in the Uchiha estate as was expected and it was only Itachi and Shisui that gave him reason to at least visit. He wouldn't go back for his father, and his mother was...

 

He sighed, frowning at his former friend. "Why did Tsunade even tell you to come with me?"

 

"Because baa-chan is an interfering mother head," Naruto said evenly. "She's been a surrogate mother for me for years, and being friends with you again is apparently what she thinks is best for me." He scoffed. "Like I would ever. Fuck this, and fuck baa-chan: I'm heading over to see if Kakashi Sensei is finished."

 

He flickered away and alone and forlorn, Sasuke approached his apartment. It was probably covered in a layer of dust by now. Shisui had promised to air it out every now and then while he was gone, but was notoriously unreliable when it came to housekeeping.

 

' _Speak of the devil.'_

 

His cousin was waiting for him.

 

 ...

 

It was a ritual; Gaara took his frustration at the situation with the council, out on the training ground, while keeping his chakra level in check. He skipped the katas, moving straight to the physical workout, trying to release his annoyance in a destructive yet constructive way. So, he avoided using his sand and as usual, turned down the offer of several Shinobi who were nearby to be his sparring partner. It wasn't like they thought they had a chance of beating him - he couldn't remember the last time anyone had gotten anywhere his defence, let alone under it. They confused him every time they asked or offered. He wasn't sure what they were up to or if they even wanted to.

 

He had other concerns right now: concerns that had caused him to be disrespectful in front of the council in the first place.

 

Gaara could feel Sakura at all times, through his sand, and what she (and others) didn't realise, was just how _much_ he could perceive through those grains of earth. She was often worried, frightened, and determined; her heart would race when he stood too close, but eventually even out and calm when he didn't move away. When she was talking to Kankuro, which he knew she was right now, she was calm but guarded, as though he was the best friend she wasn't sure what to expect from. All of these emotions confused the Kaze-heika to no end, which only worsened when he felt similar reactions in himself.

 

Several hours later, he decided he'd finally calmed down, and needed to see her. He would get what he needed out of her, and then she would give him what he _wanted_. There was no doubt in his mind that this was ultimately meant to be.

 

Gaara transported himself directly into his private room and decided to shower before heading down to the lower levels of the prison. Training had used up only a third of his chakra, which was still substantial, but he was sweatier than usual; it wasn't often he worked himself up that much lately, and it felt good just to let go.

 

Stepping out of the shower a few minutes later, he felt a slight pull on his sand. Sakura wasn't doing anything strenuous, just pulling on the sand around her wrist like she had in those forests on their way to Suna.

 

Was she calling for him? Weird. She hadn't done that once since arriving here. It sent a thrill of anticipation through his body.

 

Gaara dressed hurriedly, bringing his gourd absentmindedly, and shifted his sand, teleporting directly in front of Sakura's cell. She was waiting for him.

 

"I was under the impression Sabaku men were better at arriving on time," she said evenly.

 

He ignored her comment. "The council wants to torture you," he said, and the sudden shift of fear in her demeanour made him feel empowered. "And eventually, they're going to get their way. I told them you won't break that way, but if you won't heal the Kazekage, the end is the same."

 

Sakura swallowed heavily. "Why did you defend me in the council room? Do you want them to torture me?"

 

He reached out toward her cell, running a hand along the bars and avoiding her eyes. "You just need to look him over, at least for now."

 

Her heart was racing, he could _feel_ it; his was pounding in his ears, especially when she stepped toward him and caught his hand before he'd thought to pull it away.

 

"Do you have any medical books on Ilac-Vesical Disease I can look over?"

 

"You will look him over?" Gaara asked, his voice even, despite the hope that seemed to radiate from him.

 

Sakura thought about that. There wouldn't be any harm in seeing if the Kazekage wasn't beyond her help, right? It would at least give her an idea of where to go from here, and the life of a Kage in her hands _was_ a powerful bargaining tool. She wasn't so grandiose as to think she could offer to heal him in return for Sunagakure giving itself over to Konoha or even merely adding their voice to the peace table. No, she would take this one step at a time and see what options are laid before her, before deciding what she will ask for in return.

 

Sakura nodded. "I will check on the Kazekage, if you agree to move me to better accommodations."

 

"You want a _suite_ in return for healing him?" Gaara asked, surprised.

 

"No, I want a suite in return for taking a look at him."

 

He growled, annoyed. His desire to snap at her was back, and to threaten that if she _didn't_ look at his father, then she'd never leave this cell. His _desire_ for her was weakening him and he made an effort to push himself in the opposite direction. But every time he laid eyes on her, that resolve wavered. What the _hell_ was he meant to do with these _feelings_? He didn't want them. He _wanted_ to get his father healed, leave this pinkette to the council, and get on with his life.

 

Gaara glared at Sakura and she glared back. What the _hell_ was she doing to him? Their glaring contest ended with him sighing. This was a waste of time.

 

"Okay," he said softly.

 

"What?"

 

"I said okay," he snapped. "Happy now?"

 

He sighed softly, mentally berating himself. He was letting her get under his skin. He was treading dangerous waters. This wasn't some romance story told by bards - he hated those things, anyway - it was real life. He needed to keep away from such temptations.

 

Gaara forced his face to become passive as the Kunoichi smirked at him. She wasn't stupid. Everyone knew he was normally cold and indifferent when not infuriated by his family or the council, regardless of what was going on, and yet again she was getting to him. Right at that moment, staring into those emerald eyes of hers, he felt himself wanting to give her everything she asked for. If she asked to be let out of this cell, he would oblige. The only thing he would say no to was letting her go. But he held his tongue, doing his darn hardest not to show these submissive thoughts on his face.

 

' _She need only ask.'_

 

But she didn't ask, thinking that Gaara would never give her something in return for nothing. How quickly her outlook had changed in the last few minutes. She was looking forward to a proper bed and would tend to the Kazekage in exchange for a good night's sleep. Ultimately, she couldn't ignore the medic in herself. But Sakura kept her promise to herself as Gaara unlocked the door to her cell. If they wanted Aro Sabaku to survive, her condition was going to be _very_ steep.

 

...

 

Having exited the council chambers hours ago, Temari realised that Gaara still hadn't gone to see Sakura. He liked to train immediately after a run-in with those old codgers. It prevented him from lashing out and crushing the bones of some innocent, unsuspecting Shinobi. There was another patrol returning this afternoon, and the blonde had wanted to be on the group that met up with the thirteenth battalion, but her father's orders were that the Sabaku family stay within the protected walls of Sunagakure until the issue with the Konohagakure medic was over.

 

' _That could take months.'_

 

Temari wasn't a naturally idle person, so this was like being under house arrest, and she was likely to explode herself, soon. Gaara wasn't the only one who was allowed to get pissed off with orders he didn't agree with. Wandering the hallways near the domiciles of the higher echelon, she was looking for a particular member of the council. They were related, albeit distantly, and the woman was more open to constructive criticism than the others. Councillor Satsumi was also a blonde, but more than this, she _looked_ like an older version of Temari. Their relation explained this; it also explained why the older woman was able to worm her way onto the council. Aro� had handpicked her.

 

Sighing, Temari walked quietly and leisurely, not giving any of her reluctance away in her movements. She wasn't looking forward to this, despite the fact that she did like the woman. Months ago, Gaara had _suggested_ to her to get close to Satsumi, to work the woman - gaining her trust, whatever. The oldest sibling of the Sabaku family was friendly enough, getting along with most people, but had disliked the idea of getting close to a councillor. She supposed Gaara had his reasons, and in the end, her disapproval had forced him to have to order her to do it. This way, she felt obligated to seek the councillor out, and didn't feel like she was lying to a friend.

 

It was a mission: not one given to her officially, but a mission nonetheless. And she would perform it whether she liked it or not.

 

Temari stopped as she found Satsumi's door and was surprised at the lack of chakra signature inside the room. She wasn't home. The next best place to search was the domiciles handed out to the Iwa dignitaries, so she started walking again, hating Gaara even more now. Those people annoyed her. They had deliberately attacked the only person who might have a chance to heal the Kazekage, her _father_. How was she supposed to just ignore that?

 

She mused on her father for a while, her thoughts drifting to her family as she left the northern hallways and meandered into the guest halls. Temari was well aware her father and siblings had made a bet on her love life. She was trying to figure a way out of her engagement so that all three men lost their bets. There was no way she was going to let them profit off of her ridiculous excuse for a love life, as she'd never live it down, but in order for this to happen, she needed to keep quiet about knowing what they were up to.

 

And what exactly did she know? Kankuro had bet one thousand yen in favour of her breaking the engagement off during the next three months, while Gaara's was that it would take her at least six more months. Her father, the pain in her arse, was betting the groom-to-be was going to grow sick and tired of this and be the one to cancel everything.

 

Temari wanted to end her engagement now, and permanently, but then Kankuro would win. If she waited much longer, Gaara would win. But she didn't want to remain engaged to that _idiot_ any longer. Not watching where she was going, she found herself bumping into Captain Yura. He wasn't the nicest person, but she didn't dislike him. He got along with Gaara the most; a mutual respect through their ninja skills had given them a basis to start a strange kind of friendship, but Temari had heard one of Gaara's rants to himself about how _wonderful_ it would feel to crush the life out of the man.

 

' _Some friendship.'_

 

For his part, Yura was glad to see Temari. He smirked at her. "The councillors are speaking privately with the dignitaries, and I'm not allowed to let anyone through."

 

She realised he was standing in front of the door to a lounge set up for the dignitaries.

 

"Telling them off, are they?"

 

He shrugged. "It's none of my business."

 

He had a number of duties, the least of which had been his recent trip to Konohagakure. He was directly under Gaara's command in the units they would take out once every month for the war efforts, he was a genjutsu specialist who spent days assisting in the multiple concealment jutsu that kept Sunagakure hidden from lesser Shinobi, and he was a spy for the council with a side order of assassination.

 

He chuckled inwardly at that.

 

Yura was loyal to Gaara as the two had a friendship despite the fact that he was supposed to refer to the redhead as his master - being trained by a man almost half his age would feel demeaning if it had been anyone else. He'd had an accident several years ago while on a mission and Gaara's guidance had gotten him back on the mission list. He wouldn't be a Shinobi anymore if he hadn't, so he owed him much. But until he was named Kazekage, the council's orders would always supersede the younger man's. Gaara knew this, but it bothered him.

 

Yura was diligent about obeying rules and regulations.

 

Temari was about to snap at the captain (his eyes were roving her body shamelessly, as always), when they were interrupted by the arrival of an ANBU operative.

 

"Lady Temari," the masked man said, dropping to his knees. "Your presence is required in the Kazekage's chambers."

 

... 

 

Sakura was poring over the three thick medical reference books Gaara had supplied when Temari knocked on the door to her father's private chambers. There was a small fore room before the master bedroom that Aro� and Karura Sabaku shared, with adjoining hallways that all led to the fore room. It made it more difficult for people to "accidentally" come here. There was no mistaking where those hallways led to.

 

Speaking of Karura, Temari was surprised she was absent, her shock registering on her face as Kankuro let her in.

 

"Mum's at the hospital," he said, correctly interpreting her expression. "They've been understaffed, and dad doesn't want her to see this."

 

' _Ever the unnecessary protector.'_

 

She really wanted her to meet Sakura, but sighed deeply. It was bound to happen eventually anyway.

 

"What is everyone doing in the fore room?" She asked, her voice causing the pinkette, who was sitting on a study desk, her feet on the chair, to look up suddenly. Next to her, Gaara gave no indication he had heard her, his eyes on the book in Sakura's hands.

 

"Oh, hi Temari," Sakura said cheerfully, feeling better to be both out of that cell and not in front of the council.

 

Temari couldn't help but return her smile.

 

"Sakura's just catching up on the disease," Kankuro told his sister. "Are you done yet?"

 

"I've learnt about as much as I'm going to learn from a text book," she said, and slid off the desk. "I'll need to assess the Kazekage directly, now.�"

 

"Just so you know," Temari told the pinkette. "Aro� Sabaku is an arrogant, abrupt asshole."

 

Kankuro chuckled at this and standing in the corner of the room, Gaara growled softly.

 

Hiding her own mirth, Sakura stated what she thought was the obvious. "He couldn't possibly be worse than Gaara."

 

Kankuro threw back his head and laughed, not bothering to hide the extent of his amusement. Truly, this girl was something else. He wiped away a laughing induced tear as Gaara stared at the pinkette now, angrily. He wasn't intimidating her right now, even though she was still wary of him. For some reason, the presence of Kankuro and Temari put her at ease, if only slightly. It was the prospect of being _alone_ with Gaara that would both intimidate her and silence her quips. Right now, she was safe.

 

Temari rolled her eyes. "Where do you think Gaara gets it from?"

 

"Come on," Gaara snapped, grabbing Sakura's arm, eager to get this over with.

 

Aro� was sitting up in bed, looking more ill than he had in the council room, and Sakura had to stop herself from inhaling sharply. She was more formally (and personally) introduced to him and he smiled at her, though she could see by his silent response, what Temari had been talking about. He seemed stiff and proper in the council room, but here it was like he was mix between that and genial.

 

She schooled her face into her normal medical mask, pulled out of Gaara's grip and moved forward. "Has this been explained to you?" She asked.

 

He nodded. "I got the gist."

 

She stepped over to him. "Lie down and close your eyes. I promise, I'm not here to harm you."

 

He glanced at his youngest son, who nodded his head in assent.

 

Gaara watched impatiently as the pinkette examined his father, his eyes boring into the sickly man. Temari fretted, pacing near the door as though afraid to come any closer, while Kankuro seemed content, almost detached from the goings on. He leant against the far wall; his eyes were on Sakura as she worked her chakra throughout Aro�'s body, her face a mask of concentration.

 

The girl fascinated him, no doubt. If they had been allies he might have made an excuse to visit her often and get to know her better, and under better circumstances. She had a mouth on her, and a temper, but both were things her reputation didn't do justice to. She was so much like her Shishou, who Kankuro _had_ met before today, during an attempted peace talks two years ago that failed as abysmally as he believed this new one would.

 

Sure, peace would be nice, but he wasn't going to hold his breath on that one. There were too many people in this world who wanted power, and war afforded this to the greedy.

 

Kankuro swallowed heavily, his eyes raking Sakura's body. He had to get these thoughts out of his head. She wasn't just the enemy, she was their prisoner. No doubt, the council was looking for a reason to have her executed on the spot. So, there was no point in getting "attached". And on top of that... his eyes now strayed to Gaara. His brother was falling heavily for the pinkette, and it was _not_ one-sided. He wasn't so stupid that he couldn't see that.

 

In his earlier years, Kankuro was so jealous of Gaara that he'd vowed to himself they would never be real brothers. It was the tantrum of a middle-child who never felt good enough, for anyone. But despite his personality now, Kankuro really had outgrown that green-eyed monster. He kept his emotions bottled up so much more now; the last psychologist Temari had nagged him to go see had written a fifteen page on, "why Kankuro needs to get over himself".

 

He scoffed silently. It wasn't easy being the brother of someone so beloved as Gaara - he'd put his own concerns aside so many times that he no longer recognised them.

 

Kankuro's eyes returned to the pinkette. No matter what happened, she was never going to look at _him_ the way she looked at his baby brother. He only prayed now, that Gaara could save her from the council. If anyone could, it was him. His first priority however, was finding out what could be done for their father.

 

Sakura took the examination slowly, but fast enough that she didn't start getting death glares from Gaara, who seemed determined to get this out of the way so she could heal him. She focused on her work, and could feel Aro's chakra and it was good. Blood circulation had been hampered by the disease, but the chakra seemed unaffected. From what she'd read so far, all the symptoms were consistent with Ilac-Vesical Disease. The external ilian artery supplied blood to the lower extremities, so she moved her chakra over the lower half of Aro's body, checking for the blockages this disease apparently was supposed to cause. They were there but... she bit her bottom lip. Something was off. She pushed her chakra further into his pelvis area, now searching out the internal ilian artery, which was a blood supply for the walls and viscera (digestive organs) of the pelvic cavity, the generative (sexual/reproductive) organs, and inner side of the thigh.

 

Ilac-Vesical Disease was supposed to clot and coagulate the blood in these areas, eventually leading to internal bleeding and in worst cases, produce a low dose of toxin that coated the walls of the pelvic cavity as a by-product of the coagulation. The poison was there, but it was substantially thick and yet still leaking into the blood stream faster than it should.

 

There was only one reason Sakura could think of that would explain this.

 

She pulled her hands away, indicating the examination was over and tried to keep her face neutral as Kankuro was the first to walk over to her.

 

"Well?" He asked tentatively.

 

She glanced at Gaara meaningfully and he took the hint, grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the master bedroom without so much as a word to his father or siblings - they didn't seem surprised, only affronted. But he ignored Temari and Kankuro as they called out after him and kept moving until they were out of earshot. Past the fore room and further into the empty hallways that connected to the Kazekage's room (more like the entire wing of a building), he stopped and spun Sakura to face him.

 

"What is it?" Gaara asked, still holding onto her arm.

 

Sakura did her best to explain the differences between the internal and external arteries and the poison building in Aro�'s pelvis, as well as the inconsistencies in the symptoms. Gaara understood on a basic level - he was no medic, but still intelligent enough to get what she meant.

 

"It isn't Ilac-Vesical Disease?"

 

She shook her head. "No."

 

"Then what is it, and why did you want to have this conversation away from my father?"

 

She could see the truth unravelling in his eyes even as he asked the question.

 

"Because Gaara," she said evenly. "This isn't a disease at all. This didn't happen naturally... he's been deliberately poisoned."

 

"Poisoned?" Gaara asked, confused.

 

"Any foreign substance that's introduced into the body that changes its makeup, or the way it normally functions can be classed as a poison," Sakura said in the practised tone she used while working in the Konohagakure medical core, or in the heat of battle.

 

He nodded slowly. "What is it?"

 

"There are a number of substances that can do what this one has done," she said. "But for it to have passed as Ilac-Vesical Disease in the first place well, I'm not sure. I'd need a list of all the herbs and chemicals Suna has that are only available in the land of wind, or earth country even, considering access to their supplies would be just as easy."

 

"I don't know if I can authorise that," he said softly, his mind still on the fact that someone had deliberately poisoned his father. "And I can't trust you unsupervised with anything dangerous like..."

 

"So, you _want_ him to die then?"

 

Gaara snapped his head toward her and growled, but unlike the last time she'd outwardly insulted him or his father, he didn't slam her against the wall. It wasn't like he didn't want to; just to feel her pressed against him or under him was a temptation he wished he could give into. But her scent, her touch, and the way she looked at him... he couldn't concentrate, he couldn't do much beyond forcing himself to remember to breathe. And it made him wonder if she knew this, and if this was why she had continued to frustrate him, despite the threat to her life.

 

Through the connection of his sand, he felt her heart quicken, but she was doing a good job of keeping it off of her face.

 

"Are you sure?" He growled out, hoping she would feed the doubt in his mind that anyone would do this.

 

"There is no other explanation."

 

"This wasn't an accident?" That sounded lame. How would poison entering one's body without them noticing be an accident?

 

She shook her head, torn between annoyance that he would doubt her word and sympathy for the fear stricken man in front of her. She found herself wanting to help him - this wasn't about enemies and allies, it was about _family_. Sakura had come to terms with the reasons behind Gaara going to such extremes to capture her and she knew that if positions were reversed, she would no doubt do the same. Family came first after all, and it was nice to see people she considered enemies of Konoha in a more human light.

 

' _I need to stop sympathising with him,'_ she snapped mentally at herself.

 

"You have a theory about how it happened," he said, realising it was true.

 

Sakura nodded. "It would have to have been done over time, and in small doses, maybe even of more than one kind of poison."

 

"Why would it have had to...“"

 

"Our body eventually builds up an immunity to things like poison," she interrupted, "but we have to be exposed a certain amount of times and healed each time for it to eventually have no effect. A snake could bite you, inject its venom and I'd pump out your stomach. Give it say, three or four more times, with a medic healing you each time, and they won't even be able to find the poison in your system anymore."

 

"I'm sure there's a point to this," he said, annoyed. This was giving him a headache.

 

Sakura exhaled deeply. "All medical information is important," she snarled. "A large quantity of poison will kill you quickly. But whoever did this clearly wanted it to pass as a natural disease instead of an assassination, so the dosage had to be small, but effective enough to actually do some damage. And as I've already said, poisoning builds up an immunity, if dealt with an anti-venom or whatever. This isn't the case here, and this poison, or fungus, or whatever it turns out to be, has inflicted some serious damage."

 

She hesitated, biting her bottom lip. But there was no point in beating around the bush about Aro�'s chances.

 

"And quite frankly, his chances of survival are not good. It's in his bloodstream and has been for quite some time. Its effects are predominant in both his heart and lungs..."

 

"Lungs?"

 

"Yes," she snapped. "There is excessive bleeding in these areas, but not so heavily that your Suna medics would get suspicious."

 

"Then you must heal him now," Gaara said, and gripped both of her elbows tightly, pulling her face closer to his. He felt an upsurge of urgency and couldn't stop himself before he started to dig his fingers into her skin, almost possessively.

 

"Gaara let go!" She struggled and cried out. "You're hurting me!"

 

He wasn't drawing blood, and it was the sudden contracting of the sand around her wrists that really hurt.

 

"Gaara."

 

The sound of his father's voice roused him; Gaara released the pinkette as his father and siblings filed into the deserted hallway in which he'd chosen to hear the fate of his Kazekage. He couldn't look him in the eye and instead of facing up to what had just happened, he shunshined out, leaving Sakura to his family to deal with.

 

...

 

Tsunade would be lying if she said she trusted Orochimaru completely. Back when the second Senkage had almost gotten Otogakure destroyed, the only ally in the vicinity was the snake Sannin, so he'd taken his squad, which at the time was more like a small army (who knew why he'd felt he had to do _that_ ), and gone to the aid of the Oto nin who were still fighting. That act had earned him more respect in one night than anyone had anticipated, and with the Oto forces decimated, yet victorious, they had officially asked him to lead them.

 

The fifth Hokage had grown up with the white-faced idiot, but even _she_ had been surprised by the level of commitment he'd shown a foreign land. He hadn't gotten Hokage like he'd wanted, and she could see the anger in him when the third had put her in the position after the fourth's death, but he'd approached his new role with a kind of gusto she'd never seen in him before.

 

Still, some people had even whispered accusations to him for Minato Namikaze's demise, but he was cleared of all charges - Minato had died from a sickness originating over the border of fire. Ultimately, people began blaming other countries, which was no surprise to Tsunade. People were easily led astray.

 

She'd checked Minato out herself - it hadn't been assassination, just a contagious virus which was now easily combated. And then Kushina Uzumaki had died giving birth to Naruto, her heart broken, her immune system compromised. Fate was cruel.

 

Shaking herself of these thoughts, Tsunade sighed. With Sakura missing, she could understand Naruto's outburst, but she didn't have the luxury to start blaming everyone in sight. She had no intention of just leaving her surrogate daughter in Suna to rot, however. She had a plan. They needed to infiltrate Suna, but as much as she loved Sakura, Tsunade would not order anyone to risk their lives in such a foolhardy mission. That was why the squad would consist only of volunteers. They were expecting a fight, even though this was technically a covert mission - search and retrieval.

 

After Tsunade had sent Sakura's closest friends away on their own individual tasks, she was left alone with the snake Sannin, but it quickly changed when Jiraiya had heard he was in town. The pervert had entered through her window, _again_ , and more than anything, was excited by the fact that they were "all together again" as he put it. Tsunade could've killed him in that instant, but the tension that came from the three of them being in the same room made her too uneasy.

 

But finally, it was Jiraiya who broke the silence, while Tsunade stared daggers at Orochimaru. The snake master pointedly ignored her glare, acting as though she were happy to see him.

 

"I'm offended you came straight to Tsunade instead of me," he joked. "I haven't seen you in a long time."

 

Orochimaru grinned a grin appropriate for his reptile loving demeanour. "I didn't want to go looking for you, find you at the bath house, and then have to tell poor Tsunade what you were up to."

 

Jiraiya laughed. "I gave that up when Tsunade took me back. It was one of her conditions actually..." He rubbed the back of his head absentmindedly. "Well anyway, not that it's not good to see you again, but what merits the occasion? Don't tell me," he turned to his Hokage, "it's Sakura isn't it?"

 

Jiraiya was the first person Naruto trusted that was over the age of twenty-five. Well, he'd like to think his age had nothing to do with it, but the point was that he only knew the _exact_ details of what had happened because of the knucklehead. Tsunade never came to him about _anything_. Orochimaru answered him.

 

"I was just about to tell Lady Tsunade I came to Konoha personally to help with the search and rescue," he said.

 

Even Jiraiya was surprised, and they both stared at him. Orochimaru was offering _his_ help... _his_! Specifically, his. That alone sent a shiver down the Hokage's spine. But it had to be Sasuke, always Sasuke, who had convinced him to do this. The Uchiha was still in love with the pinkette, this was certain. His mission in Otogakure was supposed to take priority, and he'd ended his relationship with Sakura over it, but when she was taken, he'd come running back.

 

' _Bit late to show he cares, though.'_

 

But still, why would Orochimaru only mention this after the others had left?

 

Standing a foot away from Tsunade's desk, with only Jiraiya in the room as a witness to the unexpected helpfulness of the snake Sannin, Orochimaru just smirked at Tsunade, waiting for her to recover from his blasé comment. He wasn't one to offer this lightly. In all the years she had known the man, she would never have thought he'd risk this much for a Kunoichi he hadn't even met. This would make her suspicious, but she gave up trying to figure him out years ago. Everything he did now only seemed to benefit Otogakure, and by extension, their relationship with Konoha. He wasn't the nicest person, he never hesitated to admit he was selfish, rude, and tactless. It got old after a while, waiting for him to snap and kill them all, so she'd given up and just accepted his conflicting personality.

 

But still, Tsunade wondered how recovering Sakura could help Otogakure. To them she was just a Kunoichi who happened to have studied under the Hokage. Was the only female member of the legendary Sannin the reason Orochimaru wanted to help, regardless of Sasuke? The Sannin seemed eager to help the boy.

 

Another shiver wracked her body.

 

"Why?" She asked throatily.

 

"She's like a daughter to you, yes?" He asked, knowing the answer. "And how upset would you be if the Sunagakure council executed her?"

 

Jiraiya snorted, but remained quiet. Trust him to say such a thing so casually. She would be devastated, he _knew_ this. And Tsunade decided to pretend it had been a rhetorical question. It was helping her resist pummelling his smirking, arrogant face.

 

"What is it _exactly_ that Oto is offering in aid of the recovery of Sakura Haruno?"

 

"Oto offers nothing," Orochimaru said shrewdly. "You will have it whether you want it or not."

 

"And what is _it_?"

 

"A spy in Sunagakure of course."

 

...

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please kudo/subscribe/comment. Lotsa love! :)


	7. Want, Need and Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ninja nations are at war, but Sakura Haruno finds herself in a unique position to end hostilities when Gaara Sabaku takes her prisoner. But no-one says no to him and lives and he wants more from her than she's willing to give. GaaSaku.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new, edited chapter. Yay! Lol. The tedium of editing this is being broken apart by my inner GaaSaku, so future chapters will come faster for the foreseeable future. Enjoy! ^_^

…

Chapter 6: Want, Need and Desire.  
…

The birds that frequented the skies of Suna were hardier than the avian Sakura Haruno knew from the land of fire. Migratory species weren't used for summons or alerts, and the native birds here were creeping her out. For almost two days now, a vulture-like beast had been nesting near the greenhouses and every time she walked between the gardens, it would give her the evil eye. She felt completely ridiculous, wary of some stupid bird and imagining it was glaring at her as though silently daring her to come closer, so it would have an excuse to attack.

But there it was again, watching her, and all the hair on the back of her neck stood to attention. This place was getting under her skin. _Literally_. She'd had to get a whole new set of clothes since arriving in Suna. The dusty environment here was playing havoc with her skin so her new handmaid had provided her with more appropriate clothes; they protected all the vital areas of her body, but she felt heavier, like she was wearing too many layers of clothes. It was beyond annoying, but it couldn't be helped; according to Kankuro, the sandstorms in the desert lately were getting more dangerous. This increased the chances of them sweeping draughts of sand into Suna. Her leaf shinobi attire would not protect her.

Sakura wished she could walk down the streets of Suna, if only to shop and sightsee: even an enemy village had clothes stores. But her movements were regulated, which amounted only to her travel between the suite provided for her, the herb gardens, and greenhouses. She was the first to admit that under normal circumstances, she could be a workaholic, but this was not the hospital back in Konoha; it was an assault on the senses. The air was sandy and humid, not sterile, moist but not cool; the Sand and dust got _everywhere_ , not just on the plants. And at the other end of the temperature spectrum was the _frostiness_ of the gardeners.

Still, at least the mesa that hugged the exterior of the greenhouses provided shaded spots for her to work in to avoid the desert sun – she just moved her workstation to accommodate the movement of the sun. The strategic way the wall surrounded the houses made for more resilient vegetation; nestled in the northern plots where the rays would hit them at the sun's peak every day, while the force grown herbs (the cultigen: plants biologically altered through artificial selection) which required more shade had been purposefully placed to avoid direct sunlight. And yet despite her incarceration in this dishevelled, _humid_ village, Sakura was finding a strange kind of pleasure as she perused and tended to the herbs she would need to cure the Kazekage.

It was the silver lining.

' _I just feel like I need a shower every five minutes.'_

Some medicinal herbs had adverse effects on the human body if administered in the wrong dosage: harmless in small quantities but toxic in larger doses. There were no naturally growing medicinal herbs so far that Sakura had found in Suna that would help Arō and nothing in the pallets of the village's finest medicine, brought to her the hospital staff, either.

So, the pinkette had been forced to think "outside the box". She created a hydrous paste from a collection of herbs that had slowed down the Kazekage's deterioration when she injected it into his body using her chakra – the body was mostly water, but the solution absorbs and breaks down toxic material, just not quick enough to eradicate it entirely. However, the damage to Arō's body was too severe for such a simple remedy, despite her best efforts and if she could just isolate the protein that was feeding the toxin, she could bolster his immune system. His system was working against him, ignoring the poison, and hampering every solution she fleshed out. It was rare but not unheard of, for the remedy to be treated like poison by one's immune system.

The work was tedious and slow going… made worse by the periodic interruptions.

Sakura's head whipped around automatically when one of the nursery workers standing several feet away from her dropped a tray and the clatter resounded violently. She already had a headache. The young woman didn't apologise, just shrugging her shoulders as she bent to pick up after herself. Almost immediately, a small gust of sand slid along the ground and Sakura's attention was again distracted. The sudden appearance of her personal bodyguard was not surprising, as he'd been watching her almost constantly for the last two days on the premise that he didn't want any more repeats of what had happened with that Iwagakure dignitary. Like she was helpless. The idiot.

But she had known he was there, almost like a second skin in the shadows. His sand slithered along the gravel floor, drawing the attention of everyone in the greenhouse. Gaara dismissed the clumsy assistant and the others followed suit as the Kaze-heika came up to stand behind the pinkette. He was standing _too_ close for her to concentrate; even when he wasn't in the greenhouse, she could still _feel_ him watching her. He had immediately banished the ANBU guards sent to watch her by the council two days ago, and since then had hung around either just out of sight or in her personal space.

His presence during her work also seemed to instil a kind of reluctant courtesy from the Shinobi of the village. They seemed to consider her ignoble and unworthy – the only reason no-one had attacked her was because of the Kaze-heika, especially after Gaara had personally started seeing to her safety. Like she couldn't look after herself! She had already proven this to him, but he wouldn't listen. He didn't need to watch her at all times, he didn't need to get in her face when she was taking a break. Although she didn't mind that he was nearby, his over protectiveness was beginning to annoy her.

Sunagakure had a library that was available to the public, but Sakura poked, prodded, and pestered Gaara until he agreed to lend her some volumes from the ninja based one. She already knew what she would need if the only accessible plantation was in the land of fire. The land of wind was so barren by comparison that the list of available, medicinal flora was shockingly lower than she was used to.

Gaara would dismiss the medics assigned to assist her when he came in close, and then proceed to make her deliriously uncomfortable. Right now, he was standing right behind her, literally looking over her shoulder. Two days on from his angry reaction to her diagnosis on his father's condition had turned him into an incorrigible flirt. She'd had to remind him almost constantly when he did this, that her work was delicate, and he was distracting her from _healing his father_. And her current frustration was all his fault: he hadn't told anyone that his father's condition wasn't a natural disease. So, Sakura had one hand tied behind her back, while he distracted her with that flirty voice of his.

She was beginning to think the news of the attempted assassination had addled his brain.

"Must you do that?" She asked, trying to keep the needy desire out of her voice. She really _needed_ to concentrate. She was standing at her workbench, peering through a microscope, and the next thing she knew, his sand was working its way around her waist.

"You've been working too hard," he said huskily, his mouth on the nape of her neck as he gripped the wood of the workbench, caging her in. "You can leave early today."

"It's not sundown yet."

"It will be soon."

Without giving her a chance to respond, he embraced her waist from behind and his sand whipped up around them. Sakura gave a startled groan of frustration as she felt her body being lifted off the ground. The scent of perfectly cultivated vegetation (not to mention nearby compost) gave way to the aromatic lavender fragrance her personal handmaid had had ready for her every evening upon her return to her room.

Sakura pulled away from him immediately, but only managed one step backward and into a wall – her suite wasn't exactly majestic, but it offered all the comforts and a bathroom of her own. She was glad for small favours when the bathroom was stocked of everything she needed and the handmaid Gaara assigned to her said she had Temari to thank for that. For the enemy, they were treating her better than she had expected (those first days of her captivity in the cell aside).

"Sakura," Gaara said, moving toward her as she backed off. "You don't have to fear me."

"Of course, I do."

He stopped an inch from her, watching her reaction to his proximity with interest. Her heart was racing – he could feel it through the sand – and for a moment, he thought it was just fear. It was a sweet elixir, a combination of heightened concern and physical allure. Her attraction to him was heightening his to her and he couldn't stop himself from reaching out and brushing hair out of her eyes. Her pink tresses were dry and malnourished from spending all day in that god forsaken greenhouse, working and not taking a break unless he interrupted her. Gaara had decided not to tell anyone what had been done to his father as it would only cause a panic and put her in danger; he would draw out the culprit once Sakura cracked the cure. Despite this, he often found himself deliberately distracting her – his own selfishness. But, she had a temporary solution that would buy them some time, and time was what Gaara needed. He needed a great many things that weren't falling into place. He still hadn't decided how to figure out who would do this to his father, the obvious reasons aside.

"I won't hurt you," Gaara said softly.

Sakura swallowed heavily. "Because I'm helping you. But once I'm done, I want your word you'll set me free."

The lack of fear in her voice was at odds with the sensations she was sending him via the sand and this angered him. Gaara slammed his open palm against the wall behind her and she jumped slightly, startled. He stared down at the pinkette with a fury that had her terrified for her life. But she would not back down, she would not cower under his gaze. She deserved this, and he _owed_ her. She _wanted_ her freedom, and they both knew that he would have to unblock her chakra for her to fully heal his father, when the time came.

"Unblock my chakra," she said. "Do it or he'll just continue to deteriorate and suffer until the poison finally _kills_ him."

He considered this: what were the chances that he could stop her from attacking even one person once she had her full strength? She was in an enemy village and surrounded. He would leave his sand around her wrist and could find her at a moment's notice… she wasn't going to get very far if she tried. But still, his instinct was to not do this. He couldn't trust her anymore than he could understand what was going on in her head. A ninja's sense of self-worth was their ability to wield chakra. Without out it, what was she, really?

Sakura meanwhile, was debating whether or not she'd just angered the Kaze-heika one too many times. There had to be a reason he didn't want anyone to know that the Kazekage had been poisoned, but by the look on Gaara's face, he wasn't thinking about that right now. Still, she was ninety percent sure he wasn't the one poisoning the man. Well, maybe eighty percent. The redhead growled softly at her, much like a predator would.

' _Make that seventy percent.'_

Still, it was better odds than the alternative.

"Or I could just kill you right now," he said.

She knew that he knew it was an empty threat – they both knew it was inevitable, but neither were saying it. He would rather sit through one of Kankuro's _infamous_ poetry readings than willingly kill the one person who could cure his father. The council had already made up their mind, but Arō was on the fence. He'd never been one to condone execution, but if she wasn't willing to heal him, wasn't that the same thing as her signing her own death certificate anyway? It would mean she served no more purpose and keeping her alive was a waste of time. They were already at odds with the land of fire – what difference would another dead leaf kunoichi make in the long run, anyway?

So, he couldn't protect her if she didn't comply. He couldn't help her. She had to help herself.

The only hope she had was to heal Arō and hope he overruled the council, which, even if he tried, probably wouldn't work. The council seemed intent on making an example of the prized student of the Hokage. They couldn't just let her live. Of course, they'd entertained the idea of trading her, possibly getting things from Konoha that they wouldn't be able to. But their intelligence on the leaf council put that idea to rest. They would never trade secrets or anything of value for a singular person, no matter who they were.

If that was to happen, then there was nothing Gaara could do to protect her, even if he was pronounced Kazekage before said execution.

"You will heal him?" Gaara asked softly, the hope in his deep, husky voice obvious.

"I do not even know if I can," she said honestly.

He snarled at her, placing his hands against the wall, on either side of her head, forcing her harder against the wall. He leant in toward her, his face an inch from hers. The warmth of his breath sent an unexpected chill through her body. Her eyes, widened, but she made no move to escape him.

"Then you will die," he said harshly.

"And what will that accomplish?" She asked heatedly. "The Hokage will not rest until I've been avenged, and this war will never end. Do you really want that?"

He stared at her fixedly, trying to figure out whether or not the prospect of her own death scared her. She spoke with more conviction over the war, but she was still human; only an idiot wouldn't _care_ if they lived or died. He found her strength admirable, but Gaara did _not_ want to watch her be executed. The Sunagakure method of execution was somewhat more barbaric when compared to the one she might be familiar with in Konohagakure. He didn't want to witness that. He didn't want to watch her die.

No rational reason for his desire to keep her safe came to mind; Gaara was a very instinctual person, and this, too, was something he'd never understood. His instinct to go against what he is told, to argue the toss, even if he truly didn't care about the outcome – it was an endless source of confusion for everyone. But this _girl_ was much more interesting than he'd first thought, and Gaara was nothing if not intrigued by this. He wanted to see how far he could take this. To see how much he could do before she was inevitably _dealt with_.

Sakura knew what was coming before Gaara finally closed the distance between them. But with her body pressed against the wall and the sand bracelet choking her chakra reserves, she couldn't push him away. His sand held her arms against the wall and as his lips found hers the well-toned body of Gaara Sabaku crashed against hers. Sakura couldn't figure him out. One moment he looked ready to kill her, the next he was _kissing_ her! He lifted a hand to the side of her face when she pointedly refused him entry into her mouth. His tongue teased her lips, and they both _knew_ she wanted it. But she was stubborn, and his thumb pressed down on her chin to pry her lips apart; his tongue darted in and Sakura moaned before she could stop herself.

He was getting to her so easily.

Lost to the desire in her body that wanted to let him take her here and now, Sakura threw her arms around his neck. She tasted good for someone who'd spent the entire day in the company of plants and soil, and Gaara couldn't get enough of her. He ran his right hand under her left leg and pulled her knee up to rest on his hip. Both of her legs instinctively wrapped around his lean body and she gripped him tighter, tugging on his crimson hair as he grinded his hips into hers. She gave herself into the moment, tasting him, feeling him against her, and pretending that she wasn't his prisoner. She was never very good at reining in her attractions; easily led astray by a "pretty face", as Naruto always told her. She was so naïve, but this felt so good, so right. It was stupid, but her feelings for Gaara had been steadily increasing since the moment she'd seen him in the forest, but this was the coup de grâce – she had fallen so far, so fast and wanted him to throw her onto her bed and damn the consequences. This was history repeating itself; she'd fallen for Sasuke quickly, too.

In the back of her mind, Sakura knew this was inevitable, what with his advances and the way his proximity alone was enough to send her common-sense packing, but she was typically more logical and level-headed than this. If she did this, if she went all the way, wouldn't that make her a traitor? She could justify healing Arō when the time came – she was a medic, it was her job – but how could she excuse sleeping with the enemy?

Gaara moved against her, eliciting a primal groan from the pinkette. But she had to stop this, she had to be the voice of reason. Sakura released her grip on his hair with effort. Every instinct in her was screaming to keep going, to push him onto her bed and undress him – Kami knew it was what they both wanted. She gripped his shirt, lowering her legs and pushing at him.

The disappointment and anguish on his face sent her heart aflutter and she knew that her expression mirrored his. But she couldn't do this… not now, maybe not ever. She just wanted to do what she needed to earn her release, _if_ such a thing was possible at this rate.

…

Without a word, Gaara had left her to wallow in her decision. She felt the sand tighten and then loosen on her wrist as the night wore on – she tried in vain to sleep, but shortly before midnight, Sakura sat up in her bed, wide awake as the other Sabaku male checked up on her.

"So, he told you what happened?" Sakura asked, though she knew better.

Kankuro was standing against the door to her suite, a sympathetic look on his face. "No, but I'm guessing it wasn't anything you want to talk about." He sighed. "I think I know what happened but, I came here to tell you that if you turn him down again, he won't force himself on you. I don't believe he would ever do that."

Sakura swallowed heavily, grateful for that information. Even though she was a prisoner and not valuable beyond her ability to heal their father, the sand siblings spoke to her with unexpected kindness. They had a personal stake in her presence here, beyond political reasons, but she honestly believed none of them were simply "playing nice". Arō was the enemy more than them, as the politically powerful leader of Sunagakure, and his manner was more abrupt than necessary, but his two oldest children hadn't snapped at her at all.

But Gaara was another matter.

Sakura was terrified he was going to rape her, despite Kankuro's assurances, and the fact that the redhead _had_ left her be when she pulled away from him. He fit the profile of someone who didn't care who he hurt, as long as he got what he wanted, but she wanted to believe Kankuro.

As if she didn't have enough to worry about.

Kankuro started talking about relationships, mentioning that Temari had a fiancé she clearly had no intention of marrying and he himself was single… was that a hint? Sakura in turn, spoke of someone she'd been forgetting to remember lately, at least when Gaara was coming onto her.

"Sasuke Uchiha?" Kankuro asked, intrigued. "I heard he was some kind of genius."

Sakura smiled. "He is."

And Itachi: the older brother's abilities had come more naturally however, but the respective geniuses were in their own calibre and it wasn't fair to compare them, really. The older brother was a prodigy, like Neji Hyuuga, while Sasuke was more like Naruto than he'd be willing to admit – living in the shadow of someone else's abilities but so incredibly talented himself that he was a genius in his own right. Though they had both had to work harder to get there.

"Are you two sweeties?" Kankuro asked, noting the look on her face.

She shook her head. "We were, but then he accepted a long-term mission in Otogakure and broke off our relationship."

"Why?" He couldn't imagine _why_.

She shrugged. "He said it would be easier that way."

Kankuro snorted. " _Right_."

The tone in his voice was pure derision and she couldn't help but smile at that. "I guess I still think of him as my boyfriend," she said, shrugging. "Even though we're not together anymore."

"I'm not sure what you want me to say to that," Kankuro said. "I think you deserve better than someone who would dump you over a single mission, but if you like someone who likes you back, then you that shouldn't let the fact that they ran away be a deterrent to hunting them down." He rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I'll just go with 'just follow your heart' shall I?"

She giggled at that, despite herself. "Thank you Kankuro. I think I might be able to sleep now."

He nodded and stood up. "Good night Sakura."

Kankuro took one last look at the pinkette as she tried to rest her eyes, before turning around and leaving her to sleep. Instead of the Uchiha, his thoughts dwelled on Sakura's weird new "relationships" with Gaara. The truth was that the redhead wasn't pissed off with Sakura. Gaara understood her position, even though he fully intended on changing it. It was the council that was getting on his last nerve. They wanted to have her tortured until she agreed to help, which the red head refused to let them do. He was fighting them every inch of the way with this, and if Sakura knew this, Kankuro was sure she'd be more receptive to him. But that stupid, arrogant baby brother of his didn't want her to know this.

Kankuro wasn't an idiot; he could see that his brother's interest in the pinkette was reciprocated. Neither of them were hiding it very well, even though Gaara wasn't very good at expressing what he wanted, let alone how he felt. He was however, going to great lengths to keep Sakura out of the interrogator's "office". But he wasn't the Kazekage… yet. It was only a matter of time before even Gaara's influence would fail to save the pinkette. Kankuro sighed as he made his way out of this wing of the building complex. He didn't want to see her hurt either, but it didn't matter; either she healed Arō Sabaku, or the council fully intended on having her executed. It was as simple as that.

…

The next morning, no-one came to take Sakura to the greenhouses. She worried about this, but the handmaid assigned to her had a perfectly reasonable explanation – they were preparing for the Kazekage's birthday: the twenty-ninth of March she'd said, the day after Sakura's birthday.

' _And there won't be a feast fit for a Kage for_ _my_ _birthday.'_

She missed her home even more than before, remembering she'd soon be turning twenty-one. This was supposed to be a hallmark event, turning twenty-one, but no-one here knew when her birthday was. She hadn't even told Kankuro. Sakura felt like crying.

She missed Konoha, her friends, her family and… everyone. She also found herself missing a certain redhead. She regretted what happened between them last night – her pulling away, and that insufferably inconsolable look on his face. She needed him more than she was willing to admit, and something told her he already knew that.

It was so very stupid, because she knew her chances of getting out of Sunagakure alive were slim, but Sakura felt like she would regret not being with Gaara if she ever got out of here and never saw him again. She desperately wanted out, and he was the key to that, even if she didn't reciprocate whatever he was feeling. Which she did. Which was also very stupid.

Sakura sighed. This line of thinking was getting her nowhere.

The Kazekage's birthday was still two months away, but that didn't mean that Gaara should ignore her completely. Still, she understood that he felt he needed to use it as an excuse not to see her. He went into full avoidance mode when he didn't get something from her that he wanted. It was rather childish, but she understood. It was just who he was.

But that didn't make her feel less miserable. She had the whole day to herself, and she was bored to tears. The handmaid wasn't much for conversation, just giving her quick answers to her questions as she tidied up and scurried out of the suite the instant she was finished.

But around lunch time, Sakura found herself face to face with the only female of the sand siblings, and the blonde was bearing a gift. The plant in her hands was called a bonsai – a miniature tree grown in a container (a tray or low-sided pot). It was an art form more than anything, but Sakura loved the things. Temari couldn't possibly know that, could she?

Temari walked past the stunned pinkette and placed the bonsai on the window sill where it could catch some sun and turned around to face her. Her eyes quickly took in Sakura's expression and her body language.

"You need the company," Temari said. "Are you okay?"

It was obvious that Kankuro wasn't the only one who had suspicions about what had happened the night before. And it occurred to Sakura that the gardeners at the greenhouse were the ones who had spread rumours; maybe they saw Gaara whisk her away from the gardens? If so, news like that would've spread like wildfire.

Sakura groaned. "You heard."

It wasn't a question.

Temari felt like hugging the pinkette and had to force herself not to. She didn't look happy, but Sakura responded apathetically to any and all comfort. Something was bugging her – something that had to do with Gaara. Kankuro had told her that their little brother had seemed testier than usual last night, and after speaking with Sakura, he realised something had happened. (She ignored the rumours that were circulating, because that's all they were – talk about a beloved Kaze-heika and a foreign ninja. It was bound to be riddled with bias.) Kankuro was adamant they'd almost had sex, while the blonde wasn't… until now. Looking at the pinkette, she suddenly understood why he'd thought this.

Sakura didn't wait for a response and moved over to the window. "I have a bonsai in my apartment back home," she said, running her fingers over the plant. "My friend Ino always made fun of me for having a plant that was purely for show."

"She doesn't like plants?"

Sakura smiled. "She loves them, almost as much as their flowers. She just decided I wasn't a plant person and thought it funny that the only greenery I owned was a bonsai of all things."

"Sounds like a good friend."

She looked up to meet Temari's eyes. "Second to Naruto."

"I was being sarcastic."

"I know." Sakura inhaled deeply. "Ino's probably looking after it for me…. I hope."

The sadness in her voice tugged at her and the blonde stared at the bonsai. "I'm sorry you were forced to come here."

Sakura thought of Gaara, the way he teased her one moment and turned angry the next. The idea of coming here initially had been terrifying to her, though she'd never admit it, except to Naruto perhaps. But she was finding herself oddly grateful. If Arō hadn't fallen ill, if he hadn't been targeted in an attempt at assassination, Gaara wouldn't have thought twice about kidnapping her. She realised it was twisted, being glad some stranger had attacked her and carried her back to his village, but there was nothing she could do about that. She missed Konoha and wanted to go home, but still, the idea of never seeing the Kaze-heika again made her sad.

But she couldn't have it both ways.

"Don't worry about it," Sakura said, realising Temari was feeling guiltier with every second she hesitated to respond.

"Well, you'll be able to go home right?" The blonde asked, smiling. "And who knows, maybe we can be allies, and I'll visit you in Konoha."

"I'd like that."

Temari chuckled. "Of course, I'd have to bring an ANBU squad for protection, just in case."

"I'm sure _someone_ would be willing to kidnap you," Sakura said sarcastically, earning herself a pouting blonde.

"That's not funny."

"It was hilarious. Come in," she added. There was someone on the other side of the door to her suite, but she continued to smirk at the blonde as it opened.

"Temari?" Kankuro was surprised to see his sister. "I didn't expect to find you here."

The blonde frowned at her brother. "Of course I'm here, who else is going to help Sakura, you? Neither you nor Gaara would worry about the fact that she's a _girl_ so–"

She was joking, Sakura knew this – they'd been talking botany and imaginary future friendships, not about girly stuff. But the puppet master bought it.

Kankuro waved his hands defensively. "I know she's a she, but I don't like the way this conversation is going. Umm…" He hesitated nervously. "Isn't the handmaid looking after her girly needs?"

"Aargh!" Temari belted him over the head. "Idiot!" She pushed him roughly out of Sakura's room; she slammed the door in his face and he gaped at it like a fish out of water.

Kankuro felt sorry for his sister's fiancé… and whatever man she actually _did_ end up marrying.

' _Women.'_

…

The rest of the day passed quickly for Temari. She supervised the reconstruction on some of the recently demolished buildings that had been torn down due to health and safety reasons and shortly before sundown, found herself seeking out her family. Her mother was spending more and more time at the hospital, which always worried the blonde – who in their right mind _chose_ to bask in the sterility of a hospital?

She found her brothers and father in the great hall where the festivities for Arō Sabaku's birthday party were to be held. The hall was currently undergoing renovations which were less about health and safety and more about keeping up appearances. She came into the heated discussion the three men were having on the end of Gaara's comment.

"…I want Sakura at the festivities."

"Are you crazy Gaara?" Temari snapped before Kankuro could (his mouth was wide open and everything), and then frowned. "You are, aren't you?"

"You can't have Sakura attend the Kazekage's birthday celebrations," Kankuro said, although he could admit to himself he wanted her there too. "The nobles won't allow an enemy in there, it will sour the night for _them_."

"He has a point," Arō said, rubbing his wrists gently. "Although, if you manage to convince her to heal me before the night's festivities I'm sure they could be convinced to tolerate her presence."

Gaara frowned at him slightly. Only he and Sakura knew that the illness ravaging the Kazekage's body was a deliberate attempt at assassination. The man had enough on his plate, and the news that someone had poisoned him would make him suspicious of everyone around him, allowing it to travel outside of those who could actually be trusted. He needed anonymity in order to catch this traitor. Gaara had already decided it was someone his father trusted.

He had hoped that by having Sakura there, he could somehow gauge everyone's reaction and see who put up a façade of wanting her in the village. There would be plenty of people who would rather jump across the tables and throttle her for being from Konohagakure, but how many would be plotting to kill the Kazekage and finding the only person that could heal him across from them and needing to get her out of the way, _quietly_?

"And you," Temari said, once the silence reminded her that her father wasn't supposed to be in here. "What do you think you're doing out of bed? Do you want to drop dead before Sakura's finished with you or something?"

His retort stirred up the temper Temari was known for and leaving them to bicker amongst themselves, Gaara made his way to the council room. He often eavesdropped on them, since he didn't trust them anymore than he trusted anyone outside of Sunagakure's alliances. It was how he'd discovered that Arō was sick in the first place, and later how he'd found out that the Suna medics couldn't do anything for him anymore but just dull the pain. It was never good news, but it was news all the same.

There was a hidden passage only used by servants that were sealed off years ago. The council didn't know about them, and they provided ample cover. Of course, Gaara suppressed his chakra signal every time to avoid being caught, which also helped. None of them were tracking ninja in their prime and Gaara had been trained in subterfuge by the best that Suna had to offer.

As predicted, they were in their weekly meeting and due to Arō's sickness, had decided to go through the business of their politics without the Kazekage present (clearly, they didn't know he was currently refusing to remain bedridden). But by the time Gaara shifted into the passageway, he realised they'd started early and were almost done. There seemed to be one last item on their agenda. He couldn't see all their faces, his view of Kokome however, clear as day. She looked forlorn.

"I understand," she said, but didn't look remotely happy. "Then we will not inform the Kaze-heika of this decision until the last possible moment?"

" _No_." That was Sakyou's voice. "He is infatuated with the leaf Kunoichi and will attempt to dissuade our decision. It is best he not be informed, for now."

Kokome lowered her head but said nothing; Satsumi spoke next, her voice firm but saddened. "And so, we are decided?"

"Yes," Sakyou said, his voice filled with barely contained excitement. "Once the Kaze-heika has convinced the Konohagakure Kunoichi to heal our beloved Kazekage and she has done so, we will finally set the official date for her execution."

…

The sun had set in the land of wind, and from the edge of the forest that bordered the land of rivers, Kakashi Hatake watched as a sandstorm picked up between his position and the direction he knew Sunagakure to be. And by the looks of it, it was a nasty one. He'd been to the land of wind countless times on missions, and even managed to get close enough to the outer walls of the village hidden in the sand without being spotted. On that occasion, he had caught up to a courier to stop them from entering Suna – the civilian courier had been delivering an intelligence report that normally would've been carried by a ninja, or at least a delivery ninja.

Sometimes sending information via a less conspicuous delivery system allowed it to pass through slip nets… sometimes not. It had been an unofficial report based on troop movement within the land of fire, and enlightening, apparently.

Kakashi glanced behind himself, to the others in his group, as the sounds of the two former friends of the group caught his attention – they were bickering again. The rest of his group consisted of Naruto Uzumaki, Ino Yamanaka, Sasuke Uchiha, the two medics Ino had handpicked (he thought he heard her call them Shiro and Amai), as well as two ANBU that Kakashi knew well (their code names were Shune and Haro).

Naruto had started the fight with Sasuke (not that the Uchiha hadn't goaded him, in his own way), and he was biting back, while Ino tried to play mediator – a little too shrilly for Kakashi's taste. Sasuke's voice carried over to the copy ninja: he was telling Ino and Naruto _both_ to lower their voices as they weren't in Konoha anymore and their shrieking sounds would nothing but draw unwanted attention.

Kakashi sighed heavily, wishing they would _all_ just shut up. The past two days had been exactly like this – why couldn't they just get along? This team combination had never been done before; the buffer between Naruto and Sasuke was normally their pink haired friend, who knew them well enough to know what to say to shut them up. Ino's skills were lacking in the diplomacy area – that, and she was neither the best friend of or dating either of the men. She was just adding fuel to the flames. Sitting around the fire, they were all glaring and didn't stop even as the silver haired ninja dropped down from his high vantage point to instruct an ANBU to take his place as lookout.

"Put a sock in it you lot," he said. In order to get away from the feuding brats, the second ANBU as well as the two medics, had moved out of the light of the campsite at Kakashi's order. "I think it's bedtime," he added.

"Kakashi Sensei," Naruto said through gritted teeth. "Why do I have to share a tent with teme?"

"Because I said so." Kakashi had no intention of sleeping in the same tent as any of them, and Ino planned to bunk with the medics.

"But–"

"Just go to bed Naruto. You'll need all your strength: we're heading into wind territory in the morning."

Naruto stood up reluctantly, but then stopped, his eyes drifting outward, toward the border to the land of wind that was now shrouded by woodland. "I still don't get it – _how_ exactly are we getting into Suna?"

"The Senkage's spy will open the secret passage he told us about on tomorrow's sunset," Kakashi reminded the impatient blond. "From there, we'll be on our own, but we should enter Sunagakure unseen."

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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